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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26470834">It Means 'To Let Go'</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LSWells/pseuds/LSWells'>LSWells</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Love Series [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>BDSM, Dangerous Situations, F/F, F/M, Incest, M/M, Multi, Violence, mafia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:02:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>58,162</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26470834</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LSWells/pseuds/LSWells</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>All her life, Tatyana has run from her past and the nightmare it had caused, wanting nothing more than to forget. Whenever faced with the possibility of having to deal with her emotions, and the pure fear they cause, she starts to break down, immediately removing herself from the situation so as to continue running. Enter Zoya, the one person she is unable to run from.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Love Series [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1656184</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>            Tatyana forced herself to breathe slowly as she looked at the curvy woman across the room. Mikhail had informed her that the people who were looking for Zoya had discovered that she was no longer in Russia and had therefore expanded their search to international venues in an effort to find her. It was only a matter of time until they figured out where she had disappeared to, and she had to get her shit together. She couldn’t afford to be distracted if someone came after the woman.</p><p>            She’d assumed that the intense emotions she felt for Zoya would dissipate over time. Of course, she’d been wrong. If anything, they had gotten stronger, which terrified her. She couldn’t understand what was different with this one. With anyone else, she’d just ignored the emotions, and they had eventually gone away. Maybe it was the fact that she was in direct contact with Zoya on a daily basis, but the emotions weren’t going away this time.</p><p>            With a scowl, she glanced around the room and spotted Mikhail standing just outside in the hallway. Taking a deep breath, she strode towards him, ensuring that her emotions were not displayed on her face.</p><p>            “Hey boss?” she called, catching his attention as she came to a stop in front of him.</p><p>            “Hey Tatyana.” Mikhail smiled at the woman, noticing that she looked a little tense. “Did you need something?”</p><p>            Tatyana glanced back at the woman who was now watching her curiously, internally berating herself. “Could you get Yuri or Demetri to watch Zoya for a few hours? I need to take care of something personal.”</p><p>            Frowning, Mikhail examined the woman in front of him. “Is everything okay?”</p><p>            She nodded, glancing back at her boss. “Yeah. Just...need to deal with a few things. Nothing to worry about.”</p><p>            With a slow nod, Mikhail stated, “You can talk to me about anything, you know that right?”</p><p>            Tatyana stared at the man who had been her friend for so long. He wouldn’t understand anything going through her mind. He already had his perfect ending. Nikolai was dedicated to him. He wouldn’t understand how messed up she was. Hell, even the triplets had someone to love them. It just proved even more that she didn’t deserve to be happy.</p><p>            “I know, boss. Honestly, it’s nothing serious. I just need to leave the house and I can’t bring Zoya with me.”</p><p>            “Alright then. I’ll get Yuri to watch her. He’s been a little bored lately, what with the training having been cut down,” Mikhail commented, pulling out his phone and firing off a text to Yuri.</p><p>            With a grateful smile, Tatyana nodded as she headed for her room to grab her keys and wallet. “Thanks, boss.”</p><p>            It took everything she had in her to continue walking as she heard a soft voice ask, “Where is Tatyana going, Mikhail?”</p><p>            Jogging up the stairs, she forced herself to ignore everything around her as she headed for her room. Within minutes, she had grabbed the items that she needed and had left the house. As she started the car, she growled as the radio came on.</p><p>            <em>‘It’s a beautiful sunny day out there, dear listeners! With Memorial Day coming up, we’d like to hear what everyone’s plans are. Head on over to...’</em></p><p>            Tatyana flicked the radio off, preferring silence to the cheerful tones of the radio DJ. As she pulled out onto the road, she felt the tension start to dissipate as she drove further and further from the person that had walked into her life almost six months before. Despite everything that Karolina had told her, there was no way anyone would accept her as she was. She wouldn’t put anyone through that. No one deserved to clean up someone else’s mess.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            “Why does she hate me, Nikolai?”</p><p>            Nikolai looked at the woman sitting with Fin and him, sighing. The amount of times they went over this with the woman was unbelievable. They had both urged her to approach Tatyana numerous times, but each time she refused.</p><p>            “Zoya, she doesn’t hate you.”</p><p>            “But she doesn’t even look at me unless absolutely necessary,” Zoya whispered sadly. “It’s like she doesn’t even want to be near me.”</p><p>            “Zoya, I promise that she doesn’t hate you. I know what hate looks like and trust me, it doesn’t look like that,” Fin stated, placing her hand on the other woman’s hand in comfort.</p><p>            “Why don’t you just approach her and find out for sure?” Nikolai suggested with a small smile. “Master wouldn’t assign someone to watch you if they hated you.”</p><p>            “I don’t want to bother her,” Zoya objected, shaking her head.</p><p>            “Nikolai, help me up. I can’t reach her well enough to smack her from here,” Fin growled, glaring at the pretty woman.</p><p>            Nikolai raised a brow at his friend, taking in her pregnant form. “Don’t make me get Jake. Sammy said you’re not supposed to get stressed.”</p><p>            Shooting the boy a rueful glance, Fin shook her head. “This is the first time Jake hasn’t been near me in weeks and Yuri had to be threatened to stay on the other side of the room and not hover. You’re lucky. You can’t get pregnant. I love those men dearly, but if I have to tell them to stop following me to the bathroom one more time when I go pee, I swear I will never let them touch me again.”</p><p>            Zoya giggled, looking at the woman in sympathy. “They love you. They’re just concerned, especially with what happened last month,” she murmured, smiling at Yuri on the other side of the room. The man had not been able to stay in one spot since entering the room and kept giving Fin worried looks every time she moved.</p><p>            All the wind suddenly out of her sails, Fin sagged back into the chair, nodding. “I know. To be honest, I was worried too,” she whispered, her hand covering her stomach as she looked down.</p><p>            “Did Sammy say what caused the pain?” Nikolai asked, turning towards her with a worried frown.</p><p>            Fin shook her head, looking up and meeting her friend’s eyes. “There’s nothing wrong according to all the tests,” she admitted, throwing a look at Yuri with a sigh.</p><p>            “You just need to rest, Fin. I don’t want anything happening to either of you, and neither do your men,” Nikolai stated softly.</p><p>            Fin crossed her arms, resting them on the swell of her stomach as she sighed, nodding. “I know, Niko. I’ll behave.”</p><p>            “Good,” Nikolai declared, smiling.</p><p>            “Don’t think this means I’ve changed my opinion about you approaching her, Zoya,” Fin snipped, pouting at the other woman.</p><p>            Zoya laughed, shaking her head in amusement. “You don’t give up, do you? How about this? I’ll consider it.”</p><p>            Giving the woman a suspicious look, Fin nodded. “I’ll accept that.”</p><p>            “Good! I’m glad we’ve reached some sort of agreement!” Nikolai exclaimed happily before turning to Fin with a grin. “Now, isn’t it Jake’s birthday in two days?”</p><p>            Excited, Fin leaned forward. “It is! This is what I was thinking...” With that, their conversation turned to what Fin was planning for Jake for his birthday, a decidedly more humorous and joyful topic.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Tatyana looked out over the ocean, trying desperately to halt the thoughts that were running through her mind. It wasn’t healthy for her to dwell on events of the past. She was resigned to being alone, and nothing would be able to change that. She didn’t deserve the happiness that her friends had found for themselves.</p><p>            For the hundredth time since taking the job, she wondered if she would be able to convince Mikhail to reassign her to something different. Compared to having to deal with being around Zoya every waking moment, even another infiltration job would be okay. No one understood how much it took out of her to get up each day, knowing that she would have to be around that woman.</p><p>            “I’m so pathetic...” she whispered to herself softly.</p><p>            “Oh, I don’t know about that.”</p><p>            Startled, she swung around, hand immediately reaching for one of her daggers. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of the Asian woman standing behind her.</p><p>            “Woah there. No need for that,” the woman urged, a calming smile on her face.</p><p>            Hand tightening on the hilt of the dagger, Tatyana faced the woman fully, cursing the fact that she’d been so distracted that she hadn’t heard her approach. “Who are you?”</p><p>            The smile on her face never faltering, the woman took a step forward. “My name is Zhou Da-xia. Call me Dax.”</p><p>            Tatyana glared at the woman, shaking her head. “I won’t be calling you anything.”</p><p>            “Why are you so angry?” Dax questioned softly.</p><p>            “What do you want with me?” Tatyana shot back immediately, glancing around quickly to ensure that no one else had managed to sneak up on her.</p><p>            The woman shrugged. “Nothing. I was jogging and saw you as I was passing by. You looked like you could use someone to talk to, so I decided to see if I could help,” she stated softly, walking forward and ensuring that she gave Tatyana a wide berth.</p><p>            “Why would I talk to some woman I don’t even know?” Tatyana snapped, keeping an eye on the woman. She could be telling the truth. She was dressed as if she had been jogging and she did look as if she’d been at it for a while if the sweat was any indication.</p><p>            “Sometimes it’s easier to talk to someone completely removed from the situation. There’s no preconceived thoughts that way,” Dax stated, tossing a smile over her shoulder as she sat on the railing overlooking the ocean.</p><p>            Cautiously, Tatyana lowered the dagger, pushing it back into the sheath at her waist. “Sometimes it’s easier to just ignore the problems,” she commented, sitting on the hood of her car.</p><p>            “Perhaps,” Dax mused. “But that doesn’t fix things, does it?”</p><p>            Tatyana shook her head, looking up at the sky. “You’re under the assumption that all problems can be ‘fixed’. Sometimes things are too broken to repair.”</p><p>            Dax turned around and smiled at Tatyana, nodding in agreement. “True. But there’s nothing that says you can’t discover something new amidst the rubble, now is there?”</p><p>            Startled, Tatyana met the woman’s eyes. She hadn’t thought of things that way before. “I...no. I can’t.”</p><p>            Nodding, Dax pushed off the railing she was leaning against, pulling her wallet out of her pocket. Opening it, she pulled a small white card out of the inside pocket, walking forward and holding it out. “Here. This is my card. I’m available if you want to...explore something new.”</p><p>            Hesitantly, Tatyana took hold of the card, narrowing her eyes at the friendly expression the woman wore. What did she want?</p><p>            “See you around,” Dax called, breaking into a fast jog as she headed back towards the main highway.</p><p>            Tatyana watched the woman until she disappeared, frowning in confusion. Looking at the card in her hand, she shook her head. “There’s nothing new to discover.” However, despite her thoughts, something made her put the card in her own wallet as opposed to just tossing it on the ground as she got back into her car.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Dax waved at her assistant as she walked through the door, accepting the latte that the man handed to her. Taking a sip, she handed him the towel in her hand in exchange for the file that he was holding. “Thanks, Charlie. Has he been in contact?”</p><p>            “Not yet, Dax,” Charlie replied, grinning. “I suspect it won’t be long though. I understand that he’s been getting pressured from his wife.”</p><p>            Smirk on her face, Dax tilted her head. “When he calls, tell him I’m in a meeting and put him on hold. He needs to realize that I don’t jump when called.”</p><p>            “Understood,” Charlie murmured, chuckling.</p><p>            “What’s on my schedule for today, Charlie?” Dax questioned as the man followed her into her office.</p><p>            “You have an appointment at eleven with Ryder Industries, a late lunch at two with Stephan, and then the charity auction meeting at four,” Charlie listed from memory. “Oh, and your mother called and said she wouldn’t be able to make it next week. Apparently, your father is taking her on another trip.”</p><p>            Walking to the bathroom attached to her office, Dax chuckled. Stripping off her shirt, she threw it in the laundry bin she kept at the office, unashamed of her nudity. “Where’s he taking her now?”</p><p>            Charlie grinned, used to seeing Dax naked by now and unphased by it. “Brazil, apparently.”</p><p>            Walking into the bathroom, Dax turned on the water in the small shower. “I’m starting to think that he’s determined to visit every country in less than a year. Their anniversary is coming up, right?” she called out.</p><p>            Charlie walked to the desk in the middle of the room and flicked through the calendar open on the surface as he heard Dax shower. Finding what he was looking for, he called back, “July 25<sup>th</sup>. So, less than two months.”</p><p>            “Did you book the cruise I asked you to?” she questioned as she exited the bathroom after the quick shower, heading to the small wardrobe she kept at her office.</p><p>            “I did. The tickets will be delivered to them when they get back from Brazil,” Charlie confirmed, observing as the woman got dressed. “You’ll want to ditch the tie. The representative from Ryder prefers casual over formal.”</p><p>            Dax tossed the man a grin as she put the tie back in the wardrobe and shut it. “Thanks for the heads up.”</p><p>            “It’s what I’m here for,” Charlie responded, laughing.</p><p>            Dax walked around her desk, pulling her laptop forward and opening her email. “Do we know how many men Ryder is going to want?”</p><p>            Charlie shook his head, replying, “To my understanding, they don’t need the men. I think they wanted to negotiate a training contract with you.”</p><p>            Surprised, Dax glanced up at him. “They know the cost?” A training contract was quite expensive and not a lot of clients went for it. It meant that she would have to develop a personalized style for the client. While it sounded easy enough, it was in fact quite difficult. She took great pride in her company offering personalized fighting styles to each client that had the funds to request it, and no two styles were alike.</p><p>            She’d been in the business for only a few short years, but already her company was the best out there with the services that she offered, and she refused to compromise that. Her training had come from one of the best there was, and she had further developed her skills afterwards.</p><p>            “I made them aware of the starting cost, yes. I told them the cost would increase depending on how complicated they wanted the style to be,” Charlie confirmed.</p><p>            “Interesting,” Dax murmured, glancing at the time. “Well, make sure that we have plenty of beverages ready. And inform Stephan that I might not be able to make lunch. If they really want a training contract, then the meeting will probably run longer than I expected.”</p><p>            Charlie raised a brow at the woman, warning, “You know he’s not going to like being blown off again.”</p><p>            Snorting, Dax shrugged, “He’ll get over it or he’ll leave. Either way, I’m not about to lose that much money.”</p><p>            “You’re cold, Dax,” Charlie stated, impressed. Stephan would be the fifth one that the woman had dropped in the last two years.</p><p>            “I’m a businesswoman, Charlie,” Dax shot back. “He knew what he was getting into.”</p><p>            Laughing, Charlie nodded, already dialling the number as he walked out of the room, leaving Dax alone.</p><p>            Her attention focusing on the computer in front of her, Dax started browsing through the emails she had received during the night. Only a few of them required responses, mostly inquiries about the services she offered, although there was one from her mother letting her know about the trip her parents were taking.</p><p>            She reached the bottom of the email list and tilted her head curiously. “Strange...what does he want?”</p><p>            Opening the email, she read through it quickly. Fingers tapping her lower lip, she huffed in surprise. The email was from the man who’d trained her years ago. His boss had asked him to reach out to her to request that she consult on the security detail he’d set up for a particular individual, citing a threat upon that person’s life. It wasn’t so much that which caused her surprise. It was more the fact that the individual requesting the consult was extremely powerful in his own right. That someone would think of messing with him is what surprised her.</p><p>            “Charlie!” Dax yelled, firing off a reply to request a meeting later that day.</p><p>            Leaning through the open doorway, Charlie raised a brow in question. “Yeah?”</p><p>            “I need you to call and reschedule the charity auction meeting. Apologize to them for the short notice, but something has come up. Also, I need you to clear your schedule for later this afternoon as well,” Dax instructed, looking at the computer as it chimed at her, seeing a response to the email she’d sent.</p><p>            “Is everything alright?” Charlie questioned, stepping into the room.</p><p>            Eyes glancing through the email quick, Dax nodded. “Yeah. We have an appointment for three to meet a client for a consultation.” She fired off a reply to confirm the time and request the address for the location to meet at.</p><p>            “Alright,” Charlie stated. “I’ll reschedule for next week. You have an open slot on Thursday.”</p><p>            “That’s fine,” she confirmed. “Don’t schedule anything new, however, without confirming with me first. I have a feeling that this appointment is going to lead to more than just a consultation.”</p><p>            Impressed, Charlie nodded. “Oh, and the representative from Ryder Industries is already here. Did you want me to send him in?”</p><p>            Startled, Dax glanced at the time. “It’s already eleven? Shit. Put him in conference room one and offer him coffee. I’ll be there momentarily.”</p><p>            “Will do,” Charlie replied, turning and leaving the room.</p><p>            As she opened the response to the email containing the address she was supposed to go to, she frowned. What could possibly be worrisome enough to require outside help?</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Tatyana pulled up the drive and parked her car. Thinking about the card sitting in her wallet, she sighed to herself, wondering not for the first time if the woman she’d met was right. A lot of the same words had been said to her by Karolina. The fact that a complete stranger was saying the same things made her wonder if maybe she should consider asking for help.</p><p>            Laughter rang out across the lawn, making her head turn. Catching sight of the people chasing each other on the lawn, she bit her lip. No. She couldn’t chance it. As her eyes zeroed in on the individual she was supposed to protect, she frowned. The woman was beautiful and filled her every thought – both waking and asleep – with dreams of the future.</p><p>            She knew that Zoya was upset that she never responded to her. She knew that the woman thought she hated her, and honestly, she cultivated that thought with her actions to keep her at arm’s length. If Zoya knew that she had feelings for her, then she’d never get a moment of peace. It had taken her almost four months to come to terms with the fact that she even had feelings for the woman, and it still caused her anxiety and fear to spike when she was forced to face it in any way.</p><p>            The only people who knew about those feelings were Karolina and Yelena. When she’d finally admitted to herself that the feelings were there, Karolina and Yelena had almost had to tie her down to keep her from running away. It had taken them all night – and the better part of the next day – to get her to calm down and think rationally. Yelena had even lied to Mikhail, saying that Karolina had a personal emergency that had required her assistance to explain why she was not available to attend Zoya.</p><p>            The two of them had finally convinced her that – despite their presence – she did not need to act upon the feelings she had developed. It was her choice if anything came of it, and at that moment she chose to do her best to avoid putting herself in a situation that required any actions on her part. She honestly didn’t know if she would ever be comfortable enough to do so, but the thought of doing anything terrified her.</p><p>            Eyes tracking the petite woman as she ran laughing from Nikolai, she smiled sadly. If only she wasn’t as damaged as she was, then maybe things would have been different. Maybe she would have been comfortable enough to approach her and confess what she felt. As it was, even the idea made her break out into a cold sweat and sent waves of nausea through her.</p><p>She watched the wind catch Zoya’s hair and send the auburn strands whipping around her face, laughing softly at the surprise that crossed the woman’s face. Tatyana wondered again if she should approach Mikhail and request reassignment. If he knew she was serious, she would probably be granted the request. At the same time, however, she would probably have to give him some indication as to why she couldn’t protect the girl. That the reason included having feelings for her was not something that she could explain, even despite knowing the man for years.</p><p>With a sigh, she turned off the ignition of the car and stepped out, locking it behind her. As the wind plucked at her clothing and hair, she was suddenly glad that she’d stopped at a barber on her way home. She’d grown tired of the long hair she’d forced herself to keep and had decided a drastic change was in order. Now, she was sporting a close-cut style that was shoulder length in the front and tapered to a close cut – almost shaved – at the back. The style was very masculine which had been one of the draws.</p><p>Shoving her keys in her pocket, she headed towards the front door, forcing herself to not look in the direction of the laughter that seemed to peter off as she walked past. The silence was almost oppressive, and she could feel the eyes on her back as she entered the house, letting the door close behind her.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Zoya blinked after the woman in astonishment, collapsing to the ground as her legs gave out from under her. Where the woman had been beautiful before, with her long, deep burgundy hair, now she was stunning. The shorter hair drew more attention to her face and made her beautiful brown eyes stand out even more. Contrasted with her warm cream toned skin, it was impossible to ignore that Tatyana was someone to be admired.</p><p>“Nikolai,” Zoya whispered softly.</p><p>Kneeling next to the woman, Nikolai placed a hand on her shoulder. “You can’t keep doing this to yourself, Zoya. You need to talk to her.”</p><p>Hesitantly, Zoya nodded, licking her lips. “I...I know.”</p><p>A relieved smile on his face, Nikolai glanced at Fin. It had taken everything in him not to tell anyone what he had seen on his wedding day. He knew that they were meant to be together, but he had also recognized the pain that Tatyana was going through. He couldn’t interfere beyond urging Zoya to talk to her. This had to happen entirely on their own.</p><p>“Nikolai...she’s stunning,” Zoya breathed out, staring at the door that Tatyana had gone through. “How do I even approach her?”</p><p>Laughing, Nikolai stood, pulling her up with him. “Well, if you want, we can make a plan.”</p><p>Slowly, Zoya nodded, replying, “I think...I think that would be best. A plan is definitely needed.”</p><p>Zoya focused on breathing as Nikolai and Fin dragged her into the house and up to the study attached to Nikolai’s room. She had been nervous before, but now...now she was terrified.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>            Tatyana looked up as she heard her door open, smiling at her sister as Karolina poked her head through the open door. “Hey Karo.”</p><p>            Astonished, Karolina couldn’t take her eyes off the woman in front of her. “What did you do to your gorgeous hair, Tanya?”</p><p>            Fingering the strands self-consciously, Tatyana smiled, asking, “You don’t like it?”</p><p>            Karolina shook her head, exclaiming, “I love it! But...your hair was so beautiful long!”</p><p>            With a laugh, Tatyana shrugged, letting her hand drop into her lap. “I felt it was time for a change. Besides, it’s more manageable when it’s short.”</p><p>            Closing the door partially behind her, Karolina walked across the room to where her sister was sitting at the small desk, computer open in front of her. “Are you okay, Tanya?”</p><p>            Frowning, Tatyana glanced down at her lap as she shifted in her seat. “I...maybe? I don’t know anymore, Karo,” she whispered, distracted.</p><p>            “What happened?” Karolina questioned softly, kneeling down in front of her sister and taking Tatyana’s hands in hers.</p><p>            Tatyana stared down at her younger sister, feeling lost. She didn’t know how to explain what was going through her head without sounding crazy. “I...I don’t know if I can handle this anymore, Karolina.”</p><p>            Karolina smiled up at her sister. “Handle what, Tatyana? Explain what you’re having trouble with and maybe I can help. I assume it has something to do with Zoya?”</p><p>            “I...yeah,” Tatyana admitted, wincing. “I just...I’m around her day in, day out. I have no chance to relax. I thought once I was done with the infiltration mission things would go back to normal. Yet, they haven’t. Instead I was given this job which has caused nothing but trouble for me since day one.”</p><p>            “It can’t be all that bad,” Karolina chided, her eyes sad as she took in the disgust on her sister’s face. Every time the issue of Tatyana’s feelings for the other woman came up, Karolina saw the same expressions; disgust and pain, love and hope.</p><p>            “Karo...sometimes I wish I hadn’t survived,” Tatyana whispered softly, her voice breaking. “That pain would be better than this.”</p><p>            Karolina scowled, opening her mouth to berate her sister as a sob echoed from the doorway. Immediately, both women’s attention zeroed in on the doorway to see the woman they were talking about standing there. As they watched, Zoya shook her head quickly, hand rising to cover her mouth as tears filled her eyes.</p><p>            Paling, Tatyana shook her head, moving to stand. “Zoya...”</p><p>            The petite woman shook her head again, turning and running down the hall. As her footsteps sounded through the hall, Tatyana dropped back in her chair, hand shaky as she raised it to cover her mouth, disbelief etched across her face.</p><p>            “What did I do?”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Zoya burst into the room that Nikolai and Fin were lounging in. Seeing Nikolai, she sobbed, running to him and throwing herself at him.</p><p>            Nikolai looked down at the woman in his lap, startled. Wrapping his arms around her, he shot a glance at Fin as he tried to get Zoya to calm down. “Zoya...hey. What’s wrong? What happened?”</p><p>            “She hates me!” Zoya sobbed, clutching at Nikolai’s shirt. As she looked up at him, her eyes showed just how heartbroken she was.</p><p>            “Zoya, sweetie. Calm down and tell us what happened,” Fin murmured, shifting closer and running her hand down the distraught woman’s back.</p><p>            “I...I went to talk to her, like we planned. She was in...in her room with her sister and I didn’t want...to interrupt. I was going to wait and talk to her after,” Zoya gasped out between sobs.</p><p>            “Okay, that sounds fine,” Nikolai murmured, frowning.</p><p>            “No! She told her sister that she’d been expecting to be able to relax after the last job she had, and that...that she can’t because she had to watch me all the time. She said that she’s had nothing but trouble since she was told to watch me!” Zoya exclaimed, looking up at Nikolai and Fin. “She looked disgusted when she talked about me, Nikolai. <em>Disgusted</em>! She doesn’t want to even be near me!”</p><p>            Startled, Nikolai glanced at Fin. He’d finally cracked and told her what he’d seen at his wedding when his friend had demanded to know why he was so certain Zoya’s feelings would be returned. This didn’t fit with what he’d seen, and he knew he hadn’t been seeing things. “I’m sure you misunderstood the situation, Zoya,” he said calmly, wiping away the tears falling from her eyes.</p><p>            “How, Nikolai? How did I misunderstand what I clearly heard and saw?” Zoya begged, wanting the man to be right. She wouldn’t be able to deal with it if Tatyana actually hated her. She did everything she possibly could to make sure that she wasn’t a nuisance to the woman, listening to everything she was ordered to do and not asking for anything. What more could she do?</p><p>            Nikolai ran his fingers through the auburn strands that fell around Zoya’s face, pushing them back. “I promise that you misunderstood. I’ll talk to Karolina and find out what’s going on.”</p><p>            Fin gave Nikolai a look, her eyes expressing the concern she felt. Reaching out, she grasped Zoya’s hand, pulling the woman to sit on the sofa next to her as Nikolai stood. “Let Nikolai find out what’s going on, Zoya.”</p><p>            “I’ll be back when I’m done talking with Karolina,” Nikolai promised as he strode out the door, face set in a determined expression.</p><p>            As he neared the hallway that led to Tatyana’s room, he saw Karolina exit her sister’s room, closing the door gently behind her. Stopping a few feet from her, he opened his mouth to demand what was going on, only to be shushed as Karolina motioned for him to follow her. Confused, Nikolai did as she instructed, keeping quiet as she led the way down the hall to her own room.</p><p>            Waiting until they were in her room, with the door closed behind them, Karolina turned to Nikolai with a small smile. “I assume you want to talk about what Zoya saw?”</p><p>            “What’s going on Karolina?” Nikolai demanded, crossing his arms. “I know Tatyana loves Zoya. Why is she acting this way towards her?”</p><p>            Startled, Karolina could only blink at the man. “How...?”</p><p>            “How do I know?” Nikolai asked, getting a nod in confirmation. “I figured it out on my wedding day. Tatyana was standing alone, and no one was paying attention to her. I saw the love on her face, but I also saw the pain. What happened to her, Karolina?”</p><p>            Sighing, Karolina walked to the bed and sat on it, nodding. “You’re right. She does love Zoya. But that absolutely terrifies her, Nikolai.”</p><p>            “What?” Nikolai asked, confused.</p><p>            “She’s terrified of her own feelings, Nikolai. It took her months to even acknowledge the fact that she had them. She still refuses to talk about them,” Karolina murmured. “Do you remember a couple months ago, when I had that emergency that I needed her help with?”</p><p>            Nikolai nodded, sitting next to the woman. “I do.”</p><p>            “It wasn’t me, Nikolai. It was her. It took Yelena and I almost a day and a half to calm her down and keep her from running,” Karolina admitted, looking at the boy next to her.</p><p>            Shocked, Nikolai shook his head, whispering, “What happened to her, Karolina? Why is she so scared to love someone?”</p><p>            Karolina smiled sadly, stating, “Because the last time she trusted someone enough to say those words to them, she was completely and utterly destroyed. The woman you know now is not the woman my sister truly is. When Yelena and I saved her, she wasn’t recognizable. She was but a shell of herself. It took us months to get her to the point where she would even eat without one of us forcing her.”</p><p>            Nikolai shook his head, starting to understand why the look of pain was always present when Tatyana looked at Zoya. “Who...?”</p><p>            “Our father.”</p><p>            Nikolai gasped, hand shooting to his mouth in disbelief, his eyes tearing up.</p><p>            “Nikolai, I haven’t heard my sister say those words in almost ten years. Do you know how much it hurts to not hear my sister say she loves me?” Karolina whispered softly. “Do you know how much it hurts me to see her suffer and become so terrified that she cannot even function?”</p><p>            Nikolai pulled the woman into his arms, hugging her as she continued to talk.</p><p>            “This is the closest she has come to even acknowledging that someone could consider her worth loving. Zoya is the best thing that could have ever happened to my sister. I honestly think that given enough time, Tatyana can work through this,” Karolina stated, wiping the tears from her eyes as she smiled at the boy. “She just needs time. And she needs Zoya to not change. I know she loves her so much, Nikolai. I know Zoya can finally make her happy. I don’t even care if she never says the words to me, but I just want her to know what actual love is, not the butchered, perverted kind that our father showed her.”</p><p>            “What about the look of disgust that Zoya told me about?” Nikolai questioned softly.</p><p>            Biting her lip, Karolina sighed, responding, “She wasn’t disgusted with Zoya. She was disgusted with herself. She thinks she’s weak for feeling the emotions. Every time she’s even felt the slightest hint of emotion towards someone new, she ran. She did her best to remove herself from the situation causing the emotion. She can’t in this situation. She’s forced to spend time with the person she loves, but in a controlled environment, where she can dictate what is allowed to happen.”</p><p>            “Are you sure that’s a good idea? Doesn’t it hurt her?” Nikolai asked.</p><p>            “I...it’s the only option I have left, Nikolai. Of course she’s in pain, but she can’t keep going on like this. I worry that one day she won’t come back to me; that she’ll just disappear,” Karolina admitted, fear in her voice. “I would rather she experience that pain right now, and survive, than lose her later for good.”</p><p>            Breathing deeply, Nikolai pulled back, wiping the tears from his own eyes. He couldn’t believe that Tatyana had gone through what she had. Even without any concrete details, he was still able to dredge up enough of an idea to explain her actions. “I’ll make sure that nothing changes,” he stated firmly.</p><p>            “You...you can’t tell anyone what I told you, Nikolai. Only Yelena and I know what happened. Not even Mikhail knows,” Karolina begged, grasping his hands.</p><p>            “I promise. I won’t tell anyone. I do need to talk to Zoya, but I won’t tell her anything about what you told me. If you want her to stay the same, she’s going to need some reassurance that what she saw was out of context,” Nikolai stated, smiling at Karolina.</p><p>            “That’s fine,” Karolina whispered, relaxing. “She really loves her, you know?”</p><p>            Nikolai nodded, smiling. “I know. I can see it when she thinks she isn’t being watched.”</p><p>            “Don’t treat her any differently. Please?”</p><p>            “I won’t,” Nikolai assured. Knowing what he did only made him more determined to see the two women together. Now he just had to convince Zoya to continue on as she had been, and they had to change the plan they had come up with. He didn’t think that Tatyana would take Zoya approaching her well.</p><p>            Standing, Nikolai looked down at Karolina. “I’ll talk to Zoya. If you ever need anything from me, please come talk to me. I will do whatever I can to help.”</p><p>            Grasping the boy’s hand, Karolina smiled softly. “Thank you, Nikolai.”</p><p>            Patting the woman’s hand, Nikolai turned and walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Time to do damage control.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Zoya bit her lip, looking at Fin. Nikolai had been gone an hour already, and she was getting nervous. It had taken her almost half an hour to calm down long enough to stop crying. What if she hadn’t heard things wrong?</p><p>            “Zoya, stop worrying. Nikolai will be back soon. You’ll see,” Fin assured, rubbing her belly.</p><p>            “Are you okay?” Zoya asked immediately, concerned.</p><p>            Fin chuckled, nodding. “Yeah. It just feels like the baby decided to use my organs as pillows.”</p><p>            Startled, Zoya let a laugh slip as she placed a hand on the other woman’s belly. “Hey little one. Be good to your momma.”</p><p>            Giggling, Fin shook her head. “Don’t bother. I have a feeling this one is going to take after their daddies. Stubborn and doesn’t listen.”</p><p>            Before Zoya could form a response, the door opened, letting Nikolai back into the room. Immediately he found himself the focus of both women. Smiling, he shook his head. “It was a misunderstanding.”</p><p>            Nodding, Fin crossed her arms in triumph. “I knew it!”</p><p>            Crossing to the sofa, he dropped to the floor in front of it, taking Zoya’s hands in his own. “She doesn’t hate you, Zoya. I can’t tell you much, because I told Karolina that I wouldn’t, and I won’t break that trust. All I can say is continue as you have been. I know it doesn’t seem like much advice, but you can’t change how you act around her. Disregard what you heard or saw tonight. I know it hurt, but it really wasn’t what you thought it was.”</p><p>            “I don’t understand, Nikolai. What about the plan we came up with?” Zoya asked softly, letting the hope reignite. She trusted Nikolai not to lie to her.</p><p>            Immediately, Nikolai shook his head. “The plan doesn’t exist anymore. Instead, nothing can change. I know it doesn’t make sense but trust me on this. By doing nothing, you’re doing more than you’ll ever understand.”</p><p>            “You can’t tell me what Karolina said?” Zoya questioned, frowning in confusion.</p><p>            “I...no. I’m sorry. I can’t,” Nikolai stated, meeting the woman’s eyes. “I promised that I wouldn’t. It would be a huge disregard for both Tatyana’s and Karolina’s privacy to do so.”</p><p>            Zoya flopped back in the chair, nodding. “Alright. I’ll trust you, Nikolai.”</p><p>            Smiling, Nikolai responded, “Thank you, Zoya. I would tell you if I could, but just believe me that no matter what happens, Tatyana does <em>not</em> hate you, or think you’re nothing but trouble. And she isn’t disgusted by you.”</p><p>            Relieved, Zoya smiled happily. “I won’t change. I promise.” She would stay the same for the rest of her life if it meant that she might have a chance with the woman who had captured her heart. No matter what happened.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            “Dax! It’s good to see you again!”</p><p>            Dax smiled at the man in front of her, amazed at the transformation. When she had last seen him, he had been entirely focused on training and fighting and she had certainly never seen a smile such as the one she saw now. He looked like he’d completely changed.</p><p>            “You too, Yuri! You look completely different!” Dax stated, laughing as she hugged her old mentor.</p><p>            “Well, a relationship and a baby on the way will do that,” Yuri explained, laughing at the look of surprise on the woman’s face.</p><p>            “Relationship? Baby?” Dax exclaimed, blinking. “I want a name. Who managed to turn you into this person I don’t recognize?”</p><p>            Yuri grinned, replying, “Jake and Serafina.”</p><p>            “Two!?”</p><p>            Rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, Yuri nodded. “Yeah. I met Jake first through Mikhail, and Serafina joined us about three weeks later when Mikhail’s husband, Nikolai, flew her over from Italy. That was June of last year.”</p><p>            Whistling, Dax grinned. “You mean Jake Collins? The Dom who works with Charlie down at Jason’s club?”</p><p>            “Yeah,” Yuri confirmed, surprised. “You know Charlie?”</p><p>            Grinning, Dax looked over her shoulder at the car that was parked in front of the house, calling out, “Charlie, hurry your ass up!”</p><p>            Yuri chuckled as a dark head popped up over the car. “Right away, Dax! Hey Yuri!”</p><p>            “I should be surprised,” Yuri commented, laughing.</p><p>            With a shrug, Dax grinned. “He’s been my assistant for almost three years now. The only competent one I’ve had,” she explained.</p><p>            “You always were hard to work with, Dax,” Yuri commented.</p><p>            Dax tilted her head, replying, “Never hard to work with as long as you knew how to do your job. Just had trouble finding people who knew how to do their job without trying to sleep with me.”</p><p>            Charlie grinned down at Dax as he came to a stop next to her, handing over one of the folders in his hand. “This one hasn’t found someone to tie her down yet.”</p><p>            Laughing, Yuri shook Charlie’s hand. “I think she’s been like that for a long time. She’ll find someone. Maybe Nikolai can help,” he suggested, startling a laugh out of Charlie.</p><p>            “Jesus, don’t put her in that boy’s sights. I honestly don’t know who’d come out on top,” Charlie chuckled.</p><p>            “Alright, enough of that. We’re here for work,” Dax scolded, raising a brow.</p><p>            Clearing his throat, Yuri nodded with a grin. “Mikhail is in the study upstairs. He’s expecting you.” Turning, Yuri led them into the house and up the stairs to the room in question.</p><p>            “So, I understand this is a consultation?” Dax questioned as they walked.</p><p>            “Yeah. We have an individual on site that needs a large amount of protection and you’re the best I know. Mikhail wants to make sure that the estate is impenetrable. He can tell you more,” Yuri commented, stopping before a door and knocking.</p><p>            “Enter.”</p><p>            Opening the door, Yuri grinned at Mikhail as the man looked up from his computer and watched them enter the room. “Mikhail, meet Zhou Da-xia, the owner of Elite Strike, best security firm in the country.”</p><p>            Smile on his face, Mikhail stood and walked around his desk, holding out his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Zhou.”</p><p>            Nodding, Dax shook the hand that was held out to her. “The pleasure is mine, Mr. Romanov. And please, call me Dax.”</p><p>            “Of course. Then call me Mikhail.”</p><p>            Dax nodded, smiling. “Yuri informed me you were looking for a consultation on security for your estate?”</p><p>            Mikhail nodded, motioning for the woman to take a seat in front of his desk as he resumed his place. “I am. I have an individual on site that needs to be protected at all costs. She’s the daughter of a very influential man from Russia. She was sent to the US when someone started targeting her there and I just received word that the individuals that were after her finally found out that she is no longer in the country. They’ve now started to look for her abroad.”</p><p>            “I see,” Dax murmured, flicking through the folder she was holding. “And you are aware of what I charge for my services?”</p><p>            Mikhail shook his head, replying, “Money is no issue.”</p><p>            Satisfied, Dax smirked. “Very well. Should we start with an overview of the property and what you already have in place in regard to security? Do you have cameras throughout the property?”</p><p>            “Yuri, can you grab the blueprints of the house please? They should be downstairs in the library,” Mikhail requested. “There are cameras on the inside of the house, with a few scattered around the property. I’ve got a small room downstairs where I have someone monitor the feed.”</p><p>            Dax motioned at Charlie, nodding as the man started taking notes for her. “I’ll need to see the placement of the cameras, of course. And the room. What about alarm systems?”</p><p>            “I have too many people coming and going to feasibly have an alarm system of any sort. Most companies I’ve spoken with haven’t been able to figure out how to set one up,” Mikhail stated.</p><p>            “We’ll need to fix that. I have access to technology not on the market yet that will enable you to have the alarm system that’s necessary without causing issues. It works based on facial recognition,” Dax explained, making a note in the file she held.</p><p>            “Okay,” Mikhail nodded, looking up as the door to the bedroom opened. “Hello, baby boy.”</p><p>            Dax looked up as a figure entered. She didn’t bat an eye at the women’s clothing the boy was wearing, having seen much worse.</p><p>            “Master? Is this a bad time?”</p><p>            “Not at all, Nikolai,” Mikhail assured, pulling the boy to sit on his lap as he got closer. “This is Zhou Da-xia, Nikolai. She’s from Elite Strike. Remember, I told you I was pulling someone in to consult on the security here for Zoya.”</p><p>            Nikolai smiled at the woman, nodding. “It’s nice to meet you...”</p><p>            Chuckling, Dax held out her hand, stating, “Call me Dax, Nikolai.”</p><p>            Taking the woman’s hand, Nikolai smiled in relief. “It’s nice to meet you, Dax.”</p><p>            “Did you need something, baby boy?” Mikhail asked, drawing Nikolai’s attention back to him.</p><p>            “Fin was telling me that some of our old high school friends were in town and I was wondering if we could invite them over to visit. We haven’t seen each other in years, and I thought it would be nice. Especially since we can’t really leave and Zoya’s been feeling down. I was hoping that having more people would help cheer her up and would keep Fin from committing murder,” Nikolai explained, smiling at the man.</p><p>            “Jake and Yuri being protective again?” Mikhail questioned, laughing.</p><p>            Nikolai grinned, nodding. “Yeah. Fin swears that if she has to yell at them for following her to the bathroom again, she’s cutting them off.”</p><p>            Roaring in laughter, Mikhail placed a kiss on the boy’s forehead. “Then go ahead and invite your friends, baby. If you ask nicely, maybe Anna will even make some snacks for you all.”</p><p>            Throwing his arms around his Master’s neck, Nikolai beamed at the man. “Thank you, Master! I’ll go tell Fin to call them.”</p><p>            Dropping a kiss on the boy’s lips, Mikhail smiled, murmuring, “Love you, baby boy.”</p><p>            Bright smile on his face, Nikolai hugged the man again, whispering back, “I love you too, husband!”</p><p>            Dax smiled softly as the boy darted out of the room before looking back to Mikhail. “How long have you two been together?”</p><p>            Mikhail chuckled, relaxing back in the chair. “March 18<sup>th</sup> of last year. Married since March 18<sup>th</sup> of this year.”</p><p>            “Congratulations,” Dax stated, admiring the happy look on the man’s face.</p><p>            “Thanks,” Mikhail responded, looking up as Yuri returned with a roll of paper.</p><p>            “Here ya go, boss,” Yuri stated, handing the roll over to Mikhail and clearing the coffee table off.</p><p>            Unrolling the paper onto the table, Mikhail pointed at various spots. “These are the only ways to access the house. The windows on the lower level are made from a compound of bullet proof glass. I had them installed a few years ago. The entire estate is surrounded by a ten-foot stone wall, with guards posted every twenty yards.”</p><p>            Dax leaned forward, examining the blueprint in front of her. “Would you mind sending me a digital copy of this?”</p><p>            “Of course. I’ll have Demetri forward it. He has copies of all digital records,” Mikhail stated, making a note on a pad of paper on the desk.</p><p>            “Thank you. Now, how about we take a walk around the property?” Dax prompted, standing with an expectant look on her face.</p><p>            “Of course. Follow me,” Mikhail instructed, leading the woman out of the room, Charlie and Yuri falling into step behind them.</p><p>            “The security room is on the main floor, near the back of the house. It’s pass coded, and only three people outside of the guard has the code. There is a key, but that’s kept locked up in a safe that only I know the location of,” Mikhail stated as they reached the first floor, turning to walk towards the back of the house.</p><p>            “Interesting,” Dax murmured, looking around with a critical eye. Whilst pleasant to look at, she could definitely see the security features throughout the estate.</p><p>            Stopping before a door, Mikhail turned so that his body hid the lock from sight and punched in a code, pushing the door open as it unlocked. “Here we go,” he announced.</p><p>            Dax hummed lightly as she walked into the room, examining the hardware. Glancing at the guard sitting at the desk, she asked, “How many cameras?”</p><p>            “Thirty-seven. Twelve on the perimeter, fifteen inside the house, and another ten on the outside of the house,” the guard responded immediately, never taking his eyes from the screens.</p><p>            “But you only have ten monitors?” Dax questioned, making a note in the folder she held.</p><p>            “Would you recommend more?” Mikhail questioned.</p><p>            “I would recommend one for every camera you have, which means additional men to watch them. Honestly, your set up is more than enough for an estate of this size, but with the concern you have, I would suggest having 24/7 watch of the grounds. I would also suggest adding another dozen or so cameras. You still have blind spots that could hide intruders,” Dax suggested, pointing out the differences between the images on the screens.</p><p>            Mikhail looked closer, frowning. “I see.”</p><p>            “Do you have sensors on the perimeter or just cameras?”</p><p>            “Just cameras,” Mikhail stated.</p><p>            “I suggest motion sensors along the external walls. There are ones that are designed to distinguish between small animals and humans. Easily programmed from a main terminal,” Dax stated, turning to Charlie. “Do we have any in stock at the moment?”</p><p>            Pulling a folder out of the pile he was carrying, Charlie flicked through it and nodded. “We have several at the office right now, and another shipment inbound. We should receive it in the next few days. Your parents shipped them before they left for Brazil,” he confirmed.</p><p>            “Excellent,” Dax murmured, making a note on her file. “I would recommend moving the monitor room to the second floor as well. Less chance of something happening to it. And put it behind a second set of doors. Sort of a room within a room.”</p><p>            Nodding to the guard, Mikhail ushered the woman out of the room. “Is there a company you would recommend for the construction and installation?”</p><p>            Shaking her head, Dax grinned. “Oh, I won’t contract out. My company does everything. It’s why I guarantee my work.”</p><p>            Mikhail raised a brow, impressed. “When can we get this started?”</p><p>            “I’ll need to draw up an agreement and a contract for you to sign. Did you want my men to assist with security while we complete the upgrades? It’ll be an extra cost,” Dax questioned as they walked towards the front of the house.</p><p>            “I won’t say no to the assistance,” Mikhail admitted. “And like I’ve said, money is no issue. Half of the bill is being funded by Zoya’s father.”</p><p>            “Excellent,” Dax announced, making one last note before closing the file and handing it to Charlie.</p><p>            “What are you doing here?”</p><p>            Startled, Mikhail looked up to see Tatyana glaring at the woman standing next to him. “Tatyana?” he questioned.</p><p>            “Hello again,” Dax said softly, smiling at the woman. “You’ve cut your hair.”</p><p>            Frowning, Mikhail glanced at Yuri to see him shrug. “You two know each other?”</p><p>            Tatyana crossed her arms with a scowl, stating, “We’ve met. Why is she here, boss?”</p><p>            “Her company is going to be upgrading the facilities at the house. Vaslav wants the security increased,” Mikhail explained.</p><p>            Dax smiled at the woman, noticing movement behind her. Shifting her position, she glanced at the figures down the hall, noticing one of them staring at Tatyana with longing. Directing her smile back to the woman, she commented, “I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”</p><p>            Tatyana stared at the woman suspiciously before nodding once. “Neither did I.”</p><p>            “Well, it looks like we might see each other more often,” Dax stated cheerfully before turning back to Mikhail. “I’ll get the contract written up and have one of my men deliver it for your approval by the end of the week.”</p><p>            “Thank you, Dax,” Mikhail stated, smiling as the woman shook his hand before turning and leaving, waving to Yuri on her way out.</p><p>            Frowning, he watched as Tatyana stalked back down the hall and past the three figures standing at the end of the hall. He had a feeling that something was going on, but he’d wait until Tatyana approached him first. He wasn’t about to stick his nose where it wasn’t wanted.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>            Tatyana growled lightly, throwing another punch at the bag hanging from the ceiling of the training room, sweat streaming down her face. She wasn’t entirely focused, however, as she was trying to ignore the woman that had followed her. Upon trying to protest her presence, Zoya had quietly stated that she wouldn’t make a sound and would sit silently while Tatyana trained. Tatyana had been unable to offer objections when Zoya had expressed an interest in seeing her train, the pleading look that Zoya had given her too much to resist.</p><p>            Clenching her fist, she threw another punch at the bag. The force of the punch caused the smack to echo through the room, drawing a squeak from the woman watching her. Again. Growling, she swung around and stalked towards the object of her thoughts, coming to a stop directly in front of her and staring down at her.</p><p>            “Are you going to do that every time I punch the bag?” Tatyana demanded, unable to keep the growl out of her voice.</p><p>            Zoya stared up at the woman with wide eyes, unable to believe she was finally acknowledging her. She locked eyes with her, unable to look away as a soft blush dusted her cheeks, tongue flicking out to wet her lips. She could <em>smell</em> the woman standing in front of her, and not in a bad way. Her scent was earthy and intense and made her want to reach out for her. It almost overwhelmed her with how much she longed to lean into the woman.</p><p>            “Well?” Tatyana demanded, crossing her arms.</p><p>            “What?” Zoya questioned, startled. She tried to focus on what Tatyana was saying instead of how the woman smelled.</p><p>            “Are you going to <em>squeak</em> every time I punch the bag?” Tatyana ground out, tightening the grip she had on her arms, causing her breasts to push against the fabric of her shirt.</p><p>            “Squeak?” Zoya whispered, blushing as she questioned what was wrong with her. She was usually very capable of <em>talking</em>, at the very least, even if she didn’t make sense most of the time.</p><p>            “Yes,” Tatyana drawled, staring at the woman in confusion. “Every time I hit the bag, you <em>squeak</em>.”</p><p>            “Oh...” Zoya murmured, licking her lips again as she looked down, her blush worsening. “No?”</p><p>            Tatyana stared down at the woman in disbelief. “Was that a question?” she demanded, trying her best not to laugh and keep her face blank. For some reason, she felt <em>relaxed</em> around her. As if, finally talking to her, made her realize that she didn’t have any reason to fear the woman. So long as she acted like she normally did with someone she didn’t care for, there was no reason to worry what she would think.</p><p>            There was no need to worry about the girl finding out how she felt and causing issues. If it ever got to the point where she felt like she wouldn’t simultaneously throw up and pass out, then she would deal with her feelings. And who knows, maybe that woman from the other day was right. Maybe she could find something new in the rubble.</p><p>            “No?” Zoya asked, looking up. “No.”</p><p>            Nodding slowly, Tatyana gave her a look and turned her back, walking to the bag and continuing her rotation.</p><p>            Zoya scowled at herself, letting her head fall forward so her hair covered her face. When did she turn into an idiot? She’d <em>never</em> had any trouble speaking to someone before, so why now? Peeking at the woman through the fall of her hair, Zoya bit her lip as she admired the figure of the woman before her.</p><p>            She’d been working out for almost two hours nonstop, and the sweat rolling down her body definitely showed it. The shorts she wore hung low on her hips, seeming to only stay up because of the lush ass they barely covered, exposing legs that seemed to go on forever. The dark blue tank the woman wore left nothing to the imagination. The way the sweat soaked tank clung to Tatyana’s skin made it very obvious the woman had neglected to put on a bra, making Zoya almost tremble in excitement.</p><p>            Peering up at Tatyana’s face, Zoya’s breath hitched as she took in the expression of concentration there. A shaky hand slipped under the curtain of hair, fingertips resting against her lips as she watched the beads of sweat trace down Tatyana’s face, her gorgeous hair sticking to her skin. Lips opening slightly, Zoya bit the tip of her middle finger, blinking rapidly as she watched Tatyana kick out at the bag. The resulting echo made her squeak again and she froze, wide eyed as the woman immediately looked towards her in exasperation.</p><p>            “Sorry!” Zoya exclaimed, slapping her hand over her mouth as she sat up straight, eyes wide as she stared at the woman.</p><p>            Tatyana shook her head at the woman, sighing. “It’s fine. I’m done anyway,” she stated, rolling her eyes. She headed for the other side of the training room. “I’m going to take a shower. Come sit in the locker room and wait for me.”</p><p>            Zoya pinched her thigh hard, shaking her head as she jumped up. “It’s...it’s okay. I’ll go back to my room,” she squeaked before running from the room.</p><p>            Watching the small woman run from the room, Tatyana blinked, startled. “What’s with her?” she murmured to herself before heading to shower. She didn’t want to leave the woman alone for too long or Mikhail would be pissed.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Zoya ran past Nikolai, ignoring his surprised exclamation asking if she was okay. She needed to hide. She was not okay. Where had her senses gone? A small voice suggested that it had been left behind in Russia, making her whimper as she ran into her room, slamming the door behind herself and locking it.</p><p>            She made it as far as the middle of the room before she collapsed to the floor, panting. She braced her hands on the floor, feeling like she was the one who had been working out. Thoughts of Tatyana filling her mind again made her whimper, making her wonder what it would be like to touch all of that exposed skin.</p><p>            Her hand went to her lips, a thought flitting through her mind momentarily. What would it be like to taste her skin? Gasping, Zoya shuddered gently as her tongue flicked out to wet her lips, dragging across the fingertips that were pressed against her bottom lip. Moaning softly, she nipped the tip of her finger, eyes glazing over.</p><p>            A loud banging on her door made her shriek suddenly, twisting and landing on her back with a thump. Panicked, she stared at the door.</p><p>            “Zoya?”</p><p>            Dropping her head back onto the floor, Zoya laughed softly. She’d been so distracted and into herself that she had ignored the fact that Nikolai would have followed her. Shakily, she got to her feet and walked to the door, unlocking it and opening it slightly. Peeking through the opening, she met Nikolai’s eyes, blushing.</p><p>            “Hi...” she whispered, wide eyed.</p><p>            Nikolai stared at the woman in astonishment. She looked like she was a mix of excited, stressed and...wait! Leaning closer, Nikolai glanced around the hall before turning an amused expression towards the woman. “What happened? You look...aroused!”</p><p>            Face turning blood red, Zoya grabbed Nikolai and yanked him through the door before slamming it shut. Turning around, she flopped back against the door and slid to the floor. “Nikolai, what am I going to do?” she whined, staring at the man in front of her.</p><p>            Baffled, Nikolai shook his head, kneeling in front of her. “What happened, Zoya?”</p><p>            “I can’t even <em>talk</em> to her, Nikolai! She finally spoke to me without snapping orders, and I could barely speak!” Zoya exclaimed, scowling.</p><p>            Nikolai bit his lip, looking down to try and keep from laughing. It was funny, but at the same time he understood where she was coming from.</p><p>            Poking the man in front of her, Zoya narrowed her eyes. “Don’t you dare laugh, Nikolai Romanov.”</p><p>            Nikolai raised tear filled eyes to the woman, lips twitching as he snorted. “I’m so sorry,” he gasped out before collapsing in peals of laughter. “I’m really sorry! I’m not laughing at you, I promise!”</p><p>            With a huff, Zoya pushed the man back, causing him to fall backwards onto the floor, still laughing. Standing, she walked to the bed and threw herself onto it face down, burying her face in the blankets and screaming in frustration. Feeling the hand on her back, she turned her head and glared at Nikolai as he grinned down at her.</p><p>            “I’m glad my frustration amuses you, Nikolai,” she snipped, words muffled by the blankets.</p><p>            “I’m sorry, Zoya. I really didn’t mean to laugh, but you’ve been pining over her for months now and when you finally get the chance to actually talk to her, you can’t,” Nikolai stated, amused. “What were you two even doing that messed you up so much?”</p><p>            Blushing, Zoya mumbled something into the blankets, causing Nikolai to blink at her.</p><p>            “What was that?”</p><p>            Narrowing her eyes, Zoya turned her head and repeated her words. “I was watching her work out...for two hours.”</p><p>            Grin stretching his lips, Nikolai nodded. “And?”</p><p>            “...she was wearing very small shorts and a tank top...with no bra...and she was soaking wet because of how much she was sweating from the workout...”</p><p>            Whistling, Nikolai flopped down next to her. “I see. Well, I can definitely understand why you would be aroused then,” he murmured.</p><p>            Moaning, she buried her face in the blankets again. “She probably thinks I’m an idiot. How is she supposed to find me attractive when I can’t even make a good impression?”</p><p>            Nikolai rubbed her back reassuringly. “She doesn’t think you’re an idiot. Weird, maybe. But not an idiot.”</p><p>            “Not helping, Nikolai...” she growled, glaring at him only to shriek again when another knock sounded on the door, startling both of them.</p><p>            “Miss Petrova? Are you okay?”</p><p>            Wide eyed, Zoya glanced at Nikolai. “It’s her!” she whispered frantically, sitting up. “How do I look?”</p><p>            Grinning, Nikolai hopped off the bed and ruffled her hair before walking towards the door, whispering over his shoulder, “Well pleasured.”</p><p>            As Zoya stared at him in disbelief, Nikolai opened the door and grinned at Tatyana before ducking around her with a wave and disappearing. Blush darkening her cheeks, Zoya stared at the woman in her doorway, promising Nikolai silently that she would get him back for abandoning her this way.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Tatyana sighed to herself as Zoya bolted from the room. For a moment, it had almost seemed like the woman had been tempted to follow her into the shower to continue watching her. However, unlike previous instances, the idea wasn’t as alarming to her as she would have found it. Frowning in thought, Tatyana stripped out of the workout clothing and stepped into the shower stall, pulling the curtain closed behind her.</p><p>            As she proceeded to wash the sweat off her body, her mind continued to reflect on the actions of the woman she had been assigned to watch. Over the last few days she had been noticing more and more about her. The only reason that she could come up to explain it was the advice that Dax had given her. What if she actually could discover something new from the rubble of her life? What if there was the possibility of actually being happy in her future?</p><p>            Where before the thought of being romantically involved with someone terrified and repulsed her, when she thought of Zoya in that context she found that those emotions – whilst still present – were less intense. Why did Zoya not terrify her as much? Was she really just becoming acclimated to the idea? The idea of maybe <em>wanting</em> a relationship with someone still terrified her, but a small part of her that she had not been aware of until recently seemed excited and hopeful at the prospect.</p><p>            She smiled absently as she thought of the young woman’s reaction to her earlier. She had seemed absolutely gobsmacked when Tatyana had spoken to her. Come to think of it, she hadn’t really spoken with Zoya in the almost six months she’d been assigned to guard her. Her inability to properly respond had been...cute almost.</p><p>            Stepping out of the shower, she dried off slowly as her mind analyzed Zoya’s reactions from earlier and how she’d bolted the moment Tatyana had mentioned the shower. If she didn’t know any better, she’d almost swear that the girl was attracted to her. Draping the towel around her neck, she pulled on the clean clothing she had brought with her.</p><p>            Packing her workout clothing in the bag she’d brought, she walked back to her room. With a sigh, she pushed open the door, kicking it closed behind her as she tossed her bag next to the door of the bathroom. She grabbed her phone from the nightstand, checking it for any missed calls or messages before shoving it into the back pocket of her jeans. Stopping before the mirror, she ran her fingers through her hair in an attempt to fix it. Frowning, she glared at her reflection. She’d never been concerned about how she looked before. Why did she suddenly care now?</p><p>            Images of Zoya flashed through her head, startling her. She couldn’t be ‘fixing’ her hair for Zoya. Scowling, she forced herself to leave her room. As she pulled the door closed behind her, she looked up at hearing her name.</p><p>            “Tanya!”</p><p>            Seeing her sister walking down the hall, she paused. “Did you need me for something, Karo?”</p><p>            Karolina smiled at Tatyana, replying, “I was looking for you earlier.”</p><p>            “I was working out,” Tatyana stated, walking down the hall, her sister falling into step next to her.</p><p>            “Oh? Who was watching Zoya?” Karolina asked, curious.</p><p>            Tatyana cleared her throat uncomfortably. “She was with me.”</p><p>            Stumbling, Karolina looked up at her sister, placing a hand on her arm to stop her. “She was with you? While you were working out?” she asked, wanting confirmation.</p><p>            Tatyana nodded, avoiding meeting her sister’s eyes.</p><p>            “You don’t even let me around you when you work out,” Karolina pointed out, crossing her arms and examining her sister in surprise.</p><p>            With a frown, Tatyana shrugged. “She insisted on watching me, and Mikhail doesn’t want her to be alone,” she murmured softly, face feeling unreasonably warm.</p><p>            Karolina could only blink in shock as she saw the blush adorn her sister’s face. What the hell had happened? She had never seen her sister blush. “And how was that?”</p><p>            Head tilted in thought, Tatyana hummed, a small grin curving her lips unconsciously as she murmured, “She squeaked every time I kicked the punching bag.”</p><p>            “I...I see,” Karolina whispered in awe. Her sister was beautiful when she smiled like that, as if she had no cares in the world. “And where is she now?”</p><p>            “In her room,” Tatyana stated, walking down the hall again. “She bolted out of the training room when I asked if she wanted to wait in the locker room for me while I showered.”</p><p>            Karolina followed her sister silently, unable to believe what she was hearing. By the sounds of it, Tatyana didn’t even know why her actions were so out of the ordinary. Shaking her head, she stared at her sister, bemused. She had never once seen Tatyana work out, as her sister had always stated that it made her uncomfortable to have people watching her. With how her sister was, she’d always respected that, never once pushing her. To hear that she’d willingly allowed someone to watch her, not to mention the invitation to wait for her while she showered, was amazing. She honestly had never thought to see her sister progress this far before.</p><p>            Tatyana paused at the top of the stairs, looking down at her younger sister. “I’ll talk to you later, Karo. I have to go retrieve Zoya.”</p><p>            Mute, Karolina nodded, waving the woman off as she walked down the stairs in search of Yelena. She had to talk to someone about what she’d just learned, and the only one who would even begin to understand the excitement she was feeling was her wife.</p><p>            Tatyana watched her sister walk off with a confused expression before moving off down the hall towards Zoya’s bedroom. She really should talk to Mikhail about the placement of the girl’s room being placed so far from her own. If anything were to happen, it would be hard to protect her when their rooms were on opposite ends of the house from each other.</p><p>            Coming to a stop in front of Zoya’s room, she tilted her head in confusion as she heard another muffled voice inside that she determined to be Nikolai. Knocking, she blinked at the shriek that echoed from the room. That was weird.</p><p>            “Miss Petrova? Are you okay?” she called, concerned.</p><p>            Tatyana stood in silence as she heard frantic movement before the door opened suddenly, leaving her to stare down at Nikolai. Returning the greeting the boy gave her, she raised her eyes to stare at the girl in the room, startled to see her so dishevelled. Tossing a glance at the boy’s back as he disappeared, she cleared her throat as she stepped into the room. “I hope that I wasn’t interrupting anything important?”</p><p>            “Not at all!” Zoya exclaimed, standing and moving forward, tripping up in her own feet as she did. With a shriek, she braced herself as she fell, eyes squeezing shut. Expecting to hit the floor, she was surprised when she instead met soft flesh. Releasing a startled gasp, she looked up at the woman that held her, feeling her cheeks heat up.</p><p>            Tatyana looked down at the girl she held in her arms, resting her hands on the soft waist. Firming her grip on the girl’s waist, she set her back on her feet and stared down at her in concern. “Are you okay, Miss Petrova?”</p><p>            Zoya nodded slowly, unable to respond. She was hyper aware of the hands still resting at her waist and of how close she was standing to the woman she was in love with. She took a moment to examine the woman’s features, licking her lips as her eyes landed on Tatyana’s mouth. She felt the hands around her waist tighten briefly and her gaze flew upwards to meet Tatyana’s.</p><p>            Eyes widening imperceptibly, Tatyana froze at the look on Zoya’s face. It took everything in her to not overreact and push the girl from her immediately. As it was, she took a deep breath, her hands tightening around Zoya’s waist, drawing her eyes upwards. Meeting her gaze for a brief moment, Tatyana took a step back, putting some distance between them as her hands released the girl’s waist.</p><p>            “You should be more careful, Miss Petrova,” she stated softly, shifting the girl’s hands from her arms.</p><p>            Zoya glanced at where their hands were joined before Tatyana let her go, feeling bereft. “I’m sorry, Tatyana,” she whispered, looking down with a frown.</p><p>            Hesitantly, Tatyana lifted her hand to push the hair out of the girl’s face, only to realize exactly what she was doing and draw back. Clenching her hand into a fist, she turned, clearing her throat. “There are going to be workers coming and going from the property over the next few weeks. Until they’re completed, Mikhail requests that you not leave my side without either Yuri or Demetri escorting you,” she explained. “I’ll also be requesting that your room be moved closer to mine. It will be difficult to maintain your security with you on the other side of the house, even if you are close to Mikhail.”</p><p>            Zoya nodded silently. She had seen the woman reach for her, only to draw back. It made her wonder exactly how Tatyana felt about her. She had never willingly reached out for her before, and the snippets of conversation – if it could even be called that – they’d had over the last few hours were so out of the ordinary that it made her wonder. Tatyana had never let her observe while she worked out before either. Was it maybe the fact that there was going to be a lot of traffic on the property coming up? Maybe she was just starting new habits earlier, so as to avoid any issues later?</p><p>            “Is there anything that you have to do, Miss Petrova?” Tatyana questioned, easily slipping back into the cold persona she wore when doing her job.</p><p>            Startled, Zoya shook her head. “Not...not really. I do want to go into town and do some shopping, but I understand if I’m not able to.”</p><p>            Tatyana nodded, heading towards the door. “That will be fine. Get your things.”</p><p>            “What?” Zoya squeaked.</p><p>            Giving the girl an impatient look, Tatyana sighed. “Do you wish to go into town, or not?”</p><p>            “Oh!” Zoya exclaimed, nodding. “I do...but I thought that I wouldn’t be allowed.”</p><p>            “Miss Petrova, you are not a prisoner here. I am more than capable of driving you into town and back if you wish to shop,” Tatyana explained as if speaking to a child.</p><p>            Smiling brilliantly, Zoya rushed to the bedside table and grabbed her purse, making sure that her wallet and phone were inside before stopping in front of Tatyana. “I’m ready to go,” she announced.</p><p>            Tatyana observed the girl, nodding. “We’ll be taking one of the company cars, so we’ll need to swing by the library and request the keys from Demetri,” she stated, walking out the door and pausing to let Zoya close it.</p><p>            The two of them headed downstairs in silence, Zoya a step behind Tatyana. As they walked, Zoya examined Tatyana with a puzzled expression. Normally the woman who guarded her refused to accompany her when she went shopping, instead having Demetri and Yuri escort her, or even Mikhail if Nikolai went as well. Although, with the upgrades about to start, she supposed that the men were busy.</p><p>            As they approached the library, Zoya tilted her head as she heard a woman’s voice. She knew that voice from somewhere but couldn’t place it.</p><p>            Knocking on the door frame, Tatyana cleared her throat. “I need a set of keys for a company car, Demetri. Miss Petrova wishes to go shopping, so I will be escorting her,” Tatyana announced when she had the attention of the figures in the room.</p><p>            Looking up from the conversation, Demetri frowned, puzzled. Tatyana had always refused to escort the woman on any of her shopping trips before, so why would she do so now? “Sure,” he stated, pulling a set of keys out of his pocket. “You can take the Audi.”</p><p>            Walking forward, Tatyana took the keys from Demetri, nodding to the rest of the people in the room in greeting. Turning, she walked back towards the door.</p><p>            “Not going to say ‘Hi’, Tatyana?”</p><p>            Slowing, Tatyana glared over her shoulder at the woman who had spoken. “I hope you enjoy your day, Ms. Zhou.” Ignoring the chuckle that prompted, she walked out of the room, motioning sharply for Zoya to follow her. She had a bad feeling that her life was about to get much more difficult with that woman around.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>            Zoya looked around the shop curiously. When she’d said that she wanted to go shopping, she hadn’t expected Tatyana to bring her to a shopping center. Despite how out of touch it sounded, up until that point in her life, she’d never stepped foot into a shopping mall. Her father had always taken her to tailors to have her clothing specially made for her. Not much had changed when she’d come to the US as Mikhail often took Nikolai to upper class shops.</p><p>            Seeing an item on a rack that she liked, she walked over and pulled it off, holding it up for examination. Blushing at how short it seemed, she felt the material, surprised at how soft it felt.</p><p>            “Did you want to try that on?”</p><p>            Startled, Zoya looked up into the smiling face of the sales associate. “Excuse me?”</p><p>            “The dress. I think the pale green would look lovely with your coloring,” the girl commented.</p><p>            Looking back at Tatyana hesitantly, Zoya bit her lip. “Would you mind if I tried a few things on, Tatyana?”</p><p>            Glancing at the sales associate, Tatyana nodded. “Go ahead.”</p><p>            With a brilliant smile, Zoya turned back to the associate. “Could you maybe recommend a few things? I’ve never been in one of your shops before.”</p><p>            “Of course!” the associate exclaimed, taking the dress from Zoya. “My name is Jodi, by the way.”</p><p>            Following the girl, Zoya nodded, replying, “It’s nice to meet you, Jodi. I’m Zoya.”</p><p>            Smiling, Jodi started pulling items off racks and tables. “Is there anything that you don’t like, or are you pretty open to trying on anything?”</p><p>            Looking down at her body, Zoya frowned. “I...I don’t know if I should try anything too short. I’m not slim like you,” she stated, looking at the pretty shirts on the rack nearest her.</p><p>            “What? Nonsense!” Jodi exclaimed. “You have a gorgeous figure! And your girlfriend agrees, don’t you?” The girl directed her attention to Tatyana suddenly, startling Zoya.</p><p>            “Oh! She’s not...” Zoya rushed to explain, only to be cut off.</p><p>            “I...yes...” Tatyana murmured softly, almost seeming to be uncomfortable with the admission.</p><p>            “See!” Jodi announced, pulling a few shirts to the already large pile in her arms.</p><p>            Zoya stared at Tatyana in shock, unable to believe she’d heard correctly. Not only had the woman not disagreed with the comment the attendant had made, she’d also not corrected the assumption that they were dating. While she tried not to read too much into her lack of objection, she couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to even just be able to hold Tatyana’s hand.</p><p>            “Okay! Let’s start with these!” Jodi announced, looking at the pair of women with a smile. Zoya seemed so shy and hesitant, yet you would tell how much she cared for the woman she was with. “There are benches outside of the fitting rooms that your girlfriend can sit on while you try these.”</p><p>            Blushing brightly, Zoya nodded shyly and followed Jodi to the back of the store. Waiting for the girl to place the items into the room, she glanced at Tatyana to see her observing the store front.</p><p>            “There we go! There’s five in there right now. I’ll be back in a few minutes to switch some out and check on you,” Jodi stated before walking away with a smile.</p><p>            With a hesitant look at Tatyana, Zoya entered the room and closed the door behind her. Staring at the clothing hung up on the wall, Zoya leaned against the door and took a deep breath. Nodding to herself, she started trying on the various items the associate had chosen for her, separating the items she liked from what she didn’t. Jodi returned several times to switch out product for her and take the items she’d decided on up to the cash.</p><p>            As she was handed the dress she’d originally liked, along with the cropped shirts, she frowned. “I really don’t have anything I would wear these with, Jodi,” she murmured softly.</p><p>            “Oh! You can wear these with a high waist jean, although I think a nice hip hugger jean would look fantastic with them on you,” Jodi assured.</p><p>            Chewing her lip uncertainly, Zoya looked at Tatyana before shaking her head. “I...I don’t own anything other than dresses or skirts,” she admitted.</p><p>            Shocked, Jodi stared at the girl in front of her before grinning and whirling away. “I’ll be right back!”</p><p>            Tatyana stared surreptitiously at Zoya, cursing herself for not asking the girl to wait until someone else could take her out. The entire time the girl had been in the room, she’d had to force herself to pay more attention to the people coming into the store. It had been almost impossible to ignore the soft giggles that erupted from the room as the girl found items that she liked.</p><p>            Jodi returned with a couple pairs of jeans, glancing towards the front of the store before shoving them all into Zoya’s arms and pushing her into the fitting room again. “I’m technically not supposed to let you have more than five at a time, but I’m staying here.” She then proceeded to show Zoya which shirt to wear with each jean, stating, “And come out so we can see.”</p><p>            Giggling at the excitement in the girl’s voice, Zoya shut the door and started hanging the items on the wall. Startled, she examined the denim as it unfolded. “Jodi, the pants are all ripped up!” she called out.</p><p>            “Don’t worry! That’s the style,” was the immediate response.</p><p>            “Oh...” Zoya whispered to herself, pulling on one of the outfits and staring at herself in the mirror. The black, ripped jeans hung low on her hips, leaving several inches of skin bare before the hem of the shirt started. The shirt was a purple tank with the words ‘I Do What I Want’ written across it in yellow splash lettering.</p><p>            “I’m not sure about this, Jodi,” she called hesitantly, pressing her palm against her stomach. For the first time, she wished she was a bit thinner. While she’d never thought of herself as overweight, she also knew that she could stand to lose a few pounds. Her father had always encouraged her to eat healthy, but she’d always loved her sweets. Turning, she blinked at how much more pronounced her butt was.</p><p>            “Nonsense! Come out so we can see!”</p><p>            As the door opened, Tatyana glanced away from her observation of the store front only to stare in shock as Zoya emerged, a deep blush staining her cheeks. Drinking in the sight in front of her, Tatyana felt the heat in her cheeks as she stood abruptly and stalked towards the front of the store. She couldn’t stay there, watching the girl come out dressed like that.</p><p>            Watching Tatyana head for the front of the store, Zoya sighed, frowning. “I knew this wasn’t a good idea. She hates it.”</p><p>            Giggling, Jodi took Zoya’s hand in her own, shaking her head. “Are you kidding me? She couldn’t keep her eyes off you!”</p><p>            “Then, why did she just walk off like that?” Zoya questioned, confused and hopeful.</p><p>            “Well, in my experience, that sort of reaction only occurs when someone needs to remove themselves from temptation,” Jodi murmured knowingly. “But take it from me, she couldn’t stop staring at you.”</p><p>            With a happy smile, Zoya stared at Tatyana at the front of the store. Not even bothering to try the rest of the items on, she grabbed them and handed them to the girl, announcing, “I’ll take them all.”</p><p>            Laughing, Jodi waited for Zoya to change back into her own clothing before walking the girl to the register and ringing her through. Handing the bags off to Tatyana when she reappeared at Zoya’s side, she smiled. “Have a good day you two.”</p><p>            Zoya smiled happily, nodding and turning to walk off, only to pause for a moment. Biting her lip, she glanced over her shoulder. “Just...one moment, Tatyana.”</p><p>            Walking back to the girl, Zoya smiled hesitantly. “This...this might seem weird, but I just moved to this country and I don’t have any friends outside of the place I live...”</p><p>            Jodi laughed, nodding as she grabbed a pen and paper from underneath the counter. Holding it out to the girl, she grinned, stating, “Give me your phone and I’ll put my number in it. You write yours on there.”</p><p>            Nodding excitedly, Zoya unlocked and handed over her phone as she wrote her number down on the piece of paper.</p><p>            Jodi typed her number into the phone before handing it back to Zoya and taking the piece of paper, pocketing it. “Text me sometime. We can hang out, maybe go see a movie or something,” she announced.</p><p>            Tatyana cleared her throat, shaking her head with a frown. “I don’t think that’s wise,” she whispered softly to Zoya, leaning closer so the other girl didn’t overhear.</p><p>            Frowning, Zoya nodded before offering up an alternative. “I...I can’t go out much. My papa is very protective and left instructions that I wasn’t to be running all over the city. But...maybe you can visit me? We have tons to do on the estate, and I’m sure that Nikolai and Fin would adore you,” she questioned hopefully.</p><p>            With a shrug, Jodi nodded. “That works. I totally understand protective parents. Just let me know when would be good for you, and I’ll check and see if I work that day,” she instructed with a smile.</p><p>            “Great! It...It was wonderful meeting you, Jodi! Thank you so much for your help!” Zoya exclaimed happily before turning and following Tatyana, a bounce in her step.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            “We’ve found her, boss.” A man sat at a table in the center court of the mall, watching a pretty young red head laugh as she left a shop with a taller woman.</p><p>            “...”</p><p>            “Of course, boss,” the man replied, shifting his phone to his other ear and pulling a planner from the bag at his side.</p><p>            “...”</p><p>            “Do you want me to approach, or wait until he arrives?”</p><p>            “...”</p><p>            “Understood,” the man murmured, looking up as a woman joined him at the table.</p><p>            “Hello, honey,” she said happily.</p><p>            “Hello, sweetheart. I’ll just be a moment,” the man replied with a smile.</p><p>            “...”</p><p>            “Not at all. That would work fine,” the man responded, his tone changing with the appearance of the woman.</p><p>            “...”</p><p>            “I’ll contact you if anything changes,” the man stated before hanging up the phone and pocketing it. Turning to the woman sitting with him, he smiled. “How is your shift going so far, sweetheart?”</p><p>            “Oh, it’s been fantastic! We had this gorgeous couple come in just before I took my lunch. You probably just saw them leave. It was the cute red head with the tall slim woman,” she said excitedly.</p><p>            “Oh?”</p><p>            “You should have seen them, Adam. She was so shy around her girlfriend,” she gushed.</p><p>            Laughing, Adam placed his hand on top of the woman’s where it rested on the table. “I’m glad your day is going so well, Jodi,” he said, glancing towards where his target had disappeared.</p><p>            “She’s going to text me to hang out. Zoya, I mean. Her dad is super protective and doesn’t want her leaving her friend’s place unnecessarily. She’s going to check with her friend for a good time to invite me over to hang out,” Jodi explained. As she glanced around the shopping center, she failed to notice the steely glint in Adam’s eyes as he examined her.</p><p>            “That’s nice,” he murmured thoughtfully. “Maybe once you hang out there a couple times, her father might be okay with her coming over for dinner sometime. Of course, her girlfriend would be welcome as well. We could make it a couple thing.”</p><p>            Jodi turned to the man with a smile, nodding. “I can mention that when I see her again. I don’t think she has a lot of friends here, so I think it would be nice.”</p><p>            “Just let me know what day would work for her when you figure things out and I’ll make sure that I’m off work,” Adam stated generously.</p><p>            Jodi nodded, amazed at how easy he was to get along with. She’d only been dating him for a couple of months, but she felt like she’d known him for a lot longer. “I’ll make sure to let you know right away.”</p><p>            Adam looked up as he caught a glance of his target coming out of another store, eyes narrowing slightly.</p><p>            Soon.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Zoya looked at the woman standing next to her, wondering what was going through her head. Since they’d left the store where she’d met Jodi, Tatyana had been silent and had barely looked at her. She seemed more interested in looking around at their surroundings, a look of concentration on her features as if she was looking for something. Or some<em>one</em>.</p><p>            Suddenly wary, Zoya glanced around as her hand reached for Tatyana and gently touched her arm to get her attention. “Is...is there something wrong, Tatyana?” she questioned nervously.</p><p>            Frowning, Tatyana moved closer to Zoya protectively. “I don’t know,” she admitted softly. “Something just suddenly feels...off.”</p><p>            Hands clenching around the bags in her hand, Zoya held onto Tatyana’s arm. “Should we leave?” she asked hesitantly.</p><p>            Tatyana looked down at Zoya, surprised she wasn’t too concerned with the grip the girl had on her arm but brushing it off as being more concerned with the feeling of being watched. Looking at their surroundings again, she frowned. She couldn’t see anything, but that didn’t mean there was nothing there. While she’d been trained by some of the best, there were still those who were better than her in a lot of ways. Pulling her phone out, she hit a button and held the phone to her ear, directing Zoya into the nearest shop; a pet store.</p><p>            “Yakov, I need the three of you at the shopping center immediately,” Tatyana ordered.</p><p>            “...”</p><p>            “I’m not sure. It feels like we’re being watched, but I can’t see anyone suspicious.”</p><p>            “...”</p><p>            “Just the three of you should be fine. But let Sava know that he’ll need to check the car I drove us here in. It’s the Audi.”</p><p>            “...”</p><p>            “Okay. We’re on the upper level, in a pet store,” Tatyana stated. “See you in fifteen.”</p><p>            Hanging up, she pocketed the phone before directing the girl to the back of the store. Upon seeing the worried expression on Zoya’s face, she paused. “It’s probably nothing, Miss Petrova. I’m just being cautious.”</p><p>            Zoya smiled hesitantly as she nodded, replying, “Please, call me Zoya? And I trust you, Tatyana.”</p><p>            Instinctively, Tatyana opened her mouth to argue. At the scared look on Zoya’s face, however, she nodded. “Okay...Zoya.” Trying to distract the girl, she pointed at a large cage that held kittens that were up for sale. “Why don’t you pick one out?”          </p><p>            Startled, Zoya glanced at the kittens then back to Tatyana in confusion. “What do you mean?”</p><p>            “Pick one out and I’ll buy it for you,” she urged, her entire attention focused on keeping an eye out for both the triplets and the cause for her unease and concern. Had she been paying attention, she would never have allowed herself to make the suggestion. As it was, her instincts were yelling at her to distract the girl to help her remain calm.</p><p>            The distraction worked beautifully.</p><p>            With a beautiful smile, Zoya focused her attention on the kittens. Glancing at the sign, she tilted her head in confusion. “Bengal kittens?”</p><p>            “They’re beautiful creatures, aren’t they?”</p><p>            Squeaking in surprise, Zoya looked up at the guy who’d stopped next to her. Recognizing the uniform he wore that said he worked there, she calmed down. “Excuse me?”</p><p>            The guy smiled down at her. “Beautiful,” he murmured. “The kittens, I mean.” He blushed lightly at her laugh, grinning sheepishly.</p><p>            “Are they hard to care for?” Zoya questioned, looking back at the cage.</p><p>            “Not terribly. They come with all their shots, and they’re fixed as well,” he explained. “They’re very smart compared to most cats, and they have a lot of similarities to dogs in how they act.”</p><p>            “Oh?” Zoya murmured interestedly. “How so?”</p><p>            “Well, they can be trained like dogs to do tricks and listen on command,” he explained. “They’re also very curious and very chatty. Also, they tend to steal things, so it’s best to keep lots of toys around to keep them occupied.”</p><p>            Giggling, Zoya looked back at the kittens. “Do they get along with other animals? What about other people? I live with a friend that has two big dogs, and we have a lot of people that come and go all the time.”</p><p>            “Usually not a problem,” he assured. “As long as you take the time to introduce the animals, you should be fine.”</p><p>            Zoya smiled, examining the kittens in the cage. She glanced back at Tatyana to see her talking with Yakov, wondering when he had arrived. She didn’t see Luka or Sava anywhere, so she assumed they were still examining the car they had driven to the mall. Biting her lip, she turned back to the cage and pointed at a kitten with cream coloured fur and dark brown rosettes. “Can I get that one, please? Along with everything I need for him in terms of food and toys?”</p><p>            The guy nodded, smiling. “Of course. That’s a female though. Will that be a problem?”</p><p>            “Oh! No, that’s fine,” Zoya assured, smiling.</p><p>            “Alright. Let me grab a cat carrier and then we’ll get her registered in your name,” he stated, waving down another employee. “Jenny, can you get everything this young lady will need for her new Bengal kitten? Plenty of toys, and make sure you grab the special food. A new litter box and litter as well. You can place it all up at the register.”</p><p>            “Did you need a cat tree and cat bed, Miss?” Jenny asked, smiling.</p><p>            Biting her lip, Zoya looked at Tatyana. “One second,” she murmured before walking over to the woman and tugging on her sleeve to get her attention. “Tatyana? Should I get a cat tree and bed as well?”</p><p>            “You can get whatever you want, Zoya. If you think the kitten will use it, then go ahead,” she replied distractedly, patting the woman’s hand where it rested on her arm.</p><p>            Blushing deeply, Zoya smiled happily, missing the shocked look on Yakov’s face as he watched the interaction between the two women. Turning back to the two attendants, Zoya nodded. “I would like both, please. The best ones you have,” she announced.</p><p>            Jenny grinned, replying, “I’ll collect everything and bring it up to the register. Will you need someone to help you out with it?”</p><p>            Looking over her shoulder and seeing Sava and Luka walk in. Thinking about why they had been called, she nodded, figuring they would want their hands free if anything happened, rather than having them full of product. “That would be helpful, yes.”</p><p>            Jenny nodded, walking away to grab the items she’d been instructed to as the other attendant returned with a large cat carrier. “I figured it would be best to grab the bigger one. This way you won’t need to buy another when she gets too big,” he explained, putting the carrier down and holding out a clipboard and a pen. “You’ll need to fill this out before I can pull her from the cage.”</p><p>            Taking the clipboard, Zoya frowned at the form. “Tatyana?” she called softly, getting the woman’s attention. “Can...can you help me with this?” She looked up, motioning to the clipboard that she held with the required adoption forms.</p><p>            “One moment, Yakov,” Tatyana murmured, walking over to Zoya. “What’s this, Zoya?”</p><p>            “These are the forms that she needs to fill out to purchase the Bengal kitten,” the attendant explained, smiling at the other woman.</p><p>            Giving the man a look, Tatyana glanced over the forms before nodding. Everything seemed pretty straight forward. Grabbing the pen, she quickly filled out the form and handed it over to the attendant. “Is that everything?” she questioned, placing her hand on Zoya’s back unconsciously as she looked back towards the triplets and the front of the store.</p><p>            “That’s it, except for payment, but that’ll be done at the register,” the attendant stated, slotting the clipboard into a cradle above the cage. Kneeling, he unlocked the cage and reached in, gently picking up the cream coloured kitten that Zoya had pointed to. Unlocking the cat carrier, he placed the kitten inside before closing and locking it, doing the same with the cage.</p><p>            As he stood, Luka stepped forward, picking up the carrier with a nod. “I can carry her,” he stated, motioning towards the front of the store.</p><p>            Looking up at the tall man, the attendant nodded and led the way to the front of the store as the rest of them followed, Tatyana sticking close to Zoya, her hand never moving from her lower back. It took only moments for the kitten and all the items needed to keep her happy to be rung through and Tatyana handed over her credit card without batting an eye at the amount, ignoring Zoya as she protested. She’d not expected the large sum.</p><p>            The triplets watched as Tatyana paid for the items and the kitten, shocked at how attentive she seemed to be to the girl at her side, having never seen this side of her before. It was obvious that she wasn’t really paying attention to what she was doing, her entire focus on what was going on around her and ensuring that she’d be able to react when needed. It made them each think that there was something to the relationship she had with Zoya.</p><p>            They each followed silently, their stance suggesting that they were relaxed when in reality they were coiled to react at the slightest provocation. It took only a few minutes for the items that Zoya had purchased to be placed in the car that they’d arrived in. Some of the items had to be moved to the car the triplets had taken as, with the items for the kitten, there was officially too much to load into the Audi.</p><p>            Moments after the cars had been loaded, both cars were on the road and headed back to the estate. They knew that Tatyana’d had a right to be concerned. The moment they’d met with the woman and her charge, it had felt like they were being watched as well. The strangest thing was that – same as Tatyana – they weren’t able to figure out where they were being watched from. That led them to believe that only a few select people could be involved, and any of the people that came to mind posed serious problems. They were going to have to have a discussion with Mikhail, and hopefully the man would be able to find something out from Vaslav. Because if it was who the triplets were thinking of, they were in a whole lot of trouble.</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>            Tatyana stared at herself in the mirror, cursing her inability to let things stay as they were. Despite her best efforts, she knew that she was developing stronger feelings for Zoya, and that scared her. She wasn’t ready to even consider a relationship with someone, and she didn’t think she ever would be. She just didn’t know how to get past the feelings she had whenever she considered anything beyond a professional relationship with someone.</p><p>            Thinking back on the incident at the mall earlier that week, she scowled. She’d been so completely distracted with someone watching them that she’d let her guard down. All she had wanted to do was distract Zoya to keep her calm, and instead she had gained the attention of pretty much the entire household because of her actions. The only people that stayed moderately normal towards her had been Mikhail and Zoya. Even her own sister looked at her like she had done something abnormal.</p><p>            But that was the problem, wasn’t it? Since when did she buy gifts for people. She didn’t even get gifts for her sister at Christmas. It just wasn’t something that she did. She couldn’t remember the last time that she’d bought something for someone unless it had been a necessity. Although, the look of shock on her sister’s face had been amusing to see when Zoya had announced what she’d done.</p><p>            Maybe this was a good thing for her. Maybe that irritating woman had been right. It certainly seemed like more of a possibility now than it ever had before. Maybe she’d just needed to be forced to stay in one place long enough to discover the new amidst the old. Looking at herself in the mirror, she contemplated the idea of possibly having a relationship with Zoya. Touching her lips, she wondered what it would be like to kiss someone and not be scared of the fallout.</p><p>            Nervously, she glanced at her bedroom door, wondering what the girl was doing. She wondered what would happen if she approached the girl and kissed her. How would she react? She flushed, frowning at the spike of pleasure that shot through her. It was such a foreign feeling, one that she’d never felt before under her own steam. It had always been something that was forced on her. Biting her lip, she hesitantly palmed her breast through the tee shirt that she was wearing, eyes widening as she gasped.</p><p>            Shaking her head, she let her hand fall from her body, taking in the image that she saw in the mirror. Her skin was flushed with arousal, her nipples hard under the material of the shirt she wore. Her pupils were dilated, and she was shaking. Blinking furiously, she took a deep breath to calm herself.</p><p>            “I’m fine,” she whispered to herself, staring at her reflection. “There’s nothing wrong with enjoying pleasure.”</p><p>            She’d spent so long being afraid of emotion that it was new to <em>not </em>want to be afraid of it. Determinedly, she walked to her door and locked it before walking back to the mirror and meeting her own gaze. Nodding, she pulled the shirt over her head, leaving herself bare from the waist up. Watching herself in the mirror, she slowly trailed her fingertips across her flat stomach, her hand shaking. Lips parting slightly, she forced herself to breathe calmly as she pressed harder, shaking in equal parts arousal and fear.</p><p>            Hesitantly, she trailed her hand up to her breast again, cupping the heavy mound in her hand as her other hand braced against the table in front of the mirror. She took in the heavily flushed skin that reflected back at her as she trailed her fingers across her breast, lightly tweaking her nipple. The pleasure that shot through her startled her, causing a moan to fall from her lips. Panting, she tweaked her nipple again, eyes wide as she got the same response.</p><p>            Shifting, she turned around, sitting up on the table and leaning against the mirror sideways, keeping her eyes on herself. The reflective surface was cold against her skin and made her shiver as she returned her hand to her breast, her other hand resting flat against the mirror. As she played with her breast, she squirmed, amazed to feel a slight stickiness between her thighs.</p><p>            Reasoning that she had been fine so far, she placed a tentative hand between her thighs, pressing against her core with a firm hand. Immediately she pulled her hand away, the sharp spike of arousal that shot through her surprising her more than the feeling of playing with her breast had. Panting, she stared down at herself in shock. Is that what this was supposed to feel like? She had to be doing something wrong. It couldn’t possibly be as good as that.</p><p>            A knock on her door startled her, almost causing her to fall off the table that she had been sitting on. Panicked, she stared at the door, wide eyed. “Who...who is it?” she called out, the panic coloring her voice.</p><p>            “Tanya?”</p><p>            Relaxing, Tatyana sighed, pushing herself off the table and looking at herself one last time in the mirror. The image that stared back at her told her right away that if she opened the door right then, she’d be bombarded with a never-ending stream of questions. As much as she...wait...</p><p>            Wide eyed, Tatyana collapsed to the floor, raising her hand to her face as she felt the tears fall. What had she been about to say? A tentative smile tilted the corners of her lips.</p><p>            As much as she...<em>loved</em> her sister, sometimes she was too curious.</p><p>            Tatyana stared at the door to her bedroom, unable to believe that she had thought that without one ounce of fear. Realistically, she knew that she had always loved her sister. The woman had helped her when no one else had. She had been the reason that she healed and would continue to do so. But maybe, she had needed someone else to help that along.</p><p>            Her thoughts turned to Zoya and – with the new realization she’d had – realized that she didn’t fear the idea of a relationship as much anymore. The idea of admitting her feelings to the woman still terrified her and made her nauseous but admitting the feelings to herself barely caused any sort of reaction. Well, except for the obvious.</p><p>            She chuckled softly as she looked down at herself. She was sitting half naked, still aroused, in the middle of her room, whilst her sister banged on the locked bedroom door. Shit.</p><p>            “One minute, Karo!” Tatyana yelled, cursing to herself as she scrambled to her feet. Looking at the mirror, she flushed deeply as she saw the streak marks on its surface from where she had been leaning against it. “Fuck.”</p><p>            “Tanya? Are you okay?”</p><p>            “Give...give me like ten minutes and I’ll meet you in your room,” Tatyana called back, rushing to grab cleaners from her bathroom.</p><p>            Scrubbing the mirror, she bit her lip to stop the giggle from escaping as she saw her panicked reflection in the smudged mirror. If anyone saw her like this, they’d think she’d gone crazy, cleaning whilst half clothed. But maybe they’d be right. Maybe that was what she needed to repair the last of the damage that had been done to her years before. Whatever the reason, she was slowly starting to feel like a normal person, for the first time in years.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Karolina frowned, turning from the bedroom door and heading back to her own room. It was very strange for her sister to lock her door. When she’d asked about it years ago, the response that she had gotten had been that she was strong enough to protect herself against anything that might come through the doors, so she didn’t feel the need to. Finding it locked now concerned her greatly. Entering her bedroom, she flopped on the bed, glancing at the bathroom door as it opened.</p><p>            “I thought you were going to see Tatyana?” Yelena asked, brushing out her wet hair.</p><p>            Karolina nodded, a confused frown on her face. “I did...”</p><p>            Pausing, Yelena gave the smaller woman a strange glance, asking, “And?”</p><p>            “Her door was locked,” Karolina stated simply.</p><p>            “Locked?” Yelena asked, surprised. “She never locks her door.”</p><p>            “I know...”</p><p>            Yelena frowned at the woman on the bed, tilting her head in confusion. “Are you sure you got the right room?”</p><p>            Sitting up, Karolina gave her wife an unimpressed look. “Of course it was the right room. I’ve been going to the same room for six months now,” she stated.</p><p>            “You could still have made a mistake,” Yelena responded, reaching out and tugging on a strand of hair reproachfully. “And watch the tone.”</p><p>            “Sorry, Ma’am,” Karolina murmured, head ducking. “But it was her room. She even responded when I called out to her. She sounded really weird though.”</p><p>            “Oh?” Yelena questioned, nodding an acceptance to the apology as she walked to the closet and started dressing.</p><p>            “Yeah,” Karolina mused. “She sounded...I want to say distracted, but that’s not quite it.” She frowned thoughtfully. If she was honestly, the husky tone to her sister’s voice had made it sound like she was aroused, but that was impossible. The woman refused to even consider anything sexual. But she’d also never purchased a gift for someone, and that had changed.</p><p>            “So where is she now?” Yelena asked, coming out of the closet fully dressed for the day.</p><p>            “Still in her room, I imagine,” Karolina responded, tilting her head up for the expected kiss. “She said she would meet me here in ten minutes.”</p><p>            Looking at her watch, Yelena hummed lightly, stating, “You got back here almost fifteen minutes ago.”</p><p>            “What?” Karolina questioned, shocked. Her sister was never late. She stood to go back to her sister’s room when she heard a knock on the door.</p><p>            Glancing at Karolina, Yelena went to the door and opened it, smiling at Tatyana. “Hello, Tanya,” she murmured, looking back at Karolina. “I’ll be back later today, Lina. Be good.”</p><p>            “Love you, Ma’am,” Karolina called, frowning at her sister. “What’s wrong?”</p><p>            Startled, Tatyana blinked at her sister. “What do you mean?” She did a quick mental checklist of her person to make sure that there was nothing off about herself to make her sister start throwing questions around.</p><p>            “You’re five minutes late. You’re never late,” Karolina stated, crossing her arms and staring at Tatyana suspiciously.</p><p>            Surprised, Tatyana glanced at the clock on her sister’s bedroom wall, cursing mentally. “Your clock must be fast,” she commented, shrugging. “You wanted to talk to me?” She hoped her sister took the bait and let her change the subject. She really couldn’t deal with questions at that moment. Everything she’d just dealt with was still too fresh in her mind.</p><p>            Karolina narrowed her eyes, examining her sister. She knew what the woman was trying to do, and despite wanting to hound her, she allowed it. “Mikhail said that Zoya needs help moving her things into the room next to yours today. Apparently, Yuri and Demetri are busy escorting Ms. Zhou around the estate to start the planning and he doesn’t want the other men around her alone,” Karolina explained, watching her sister closely.</p><p>            Tatyana forced herself to maintain a neutral expression as she nodded, keeping her eyes locked with Karolina’s. “I assume Zoya is in her room?”</p><p>            “She is.”</p><p>            “Alright. I better go then before Mikhail sends someone looking for me,” Tatyana stated casually, turning and heading out the door, leaving Karolina alone in the room.</p><p>            “I don’t know what you’re up to, Tatyana, but you should know by now that you’re not able to hide things from me,” Karolina murmured softly, staring at the closed bedroom door thoughtfully. Something was going on, and she was not about to let her sister go through it alone.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Tatyana cleared her throat, forcing herself to breathe before knocking on the closed bedroom door that belonged to Zoya. She could do this. She was a grown ass woman, and she was not about to be scared away by a tiny little thing that couldn’t fight her way out of a wet paper bag. The pitiful yowl that came from the room startled her, making her jump slightly. Looking around the hallway, she breathed a sigh of relief to see it empty.</p><p>            “Miss Petrova?” she called out.</p><p>            “One moment!”</p><p>            There was a loud bang, followed by a louder yowl before the door was yanked open to reveal a panting Zoya with her hair pulled back in a half ponytail, a happy kitten in her arms. Taking in the appearance of the girl, Tatyana cursed the small spike of arousal that shot through her. She immediately blamed her sister for interrupting her earlier.</p><p>            “Tatyana, I asked you to call me Zoya,” the girl scolded lightly, turning around and fighting to get the kitten back in the carrier. “Yana, please just go back in. You’ll be able to get out soon, momma promises!”</p><p>            “Yana?” Tatyana questioned, curious.</p><p>            “Yes,” Zoya stated, crowing in triumph as she managed to lock the kitten in the carrier. Collapsing next to it, she grinned as she stared up at Tatyana, cheeks flushed and panting. “I named her after you!”</p><p>            Tatyana nodded slowly. “Oh,” she murmured softly. She stared at the girl on the floor, taking in her flushed appearance and remembering what she had been doing earlier. The flushed features of the girl made her wonder what she’d be like in the same situation, making her shift uncomfortably as the twinge of arousal grew stronger. The way the girl was dressed certainly did nothing to help her problem. She was wearing a ripped pair of blue jeans with one of the cropped tees that she had purchased when they’d gone shopping.</p><p>            “I only have my suitcases and the cat carrier. Mikhail said he’d get Yuri to supervise some men later to move the rest of my things,” Zoya announced, pointing to the two cases that stood against the wall. “There are toys already in the carrier for Yana.”</p><p>            “What about her food and litter?” Tatyana questioned, trying to ignore the pulses that were going through her.</p><p>            “Oh, shoot! I knew I forgot something,” Zoya pouted, bending down to look into the carrier. “You’re supposed to remind me when I forget things, missy.”</p><p>            Tatyana watched in amazement as the kitten yowled back at Zoya in response, almost seeming to scold her for relying on a kitten. “It’s okay. We can make two trips.”</p><p>            Zoya beamed up at Tatyana, nodding. “Thank you.”</p><p>            Nodding slowly, Tatyana turned to the suitcases, asking, “Are you able to carry...Yana?”</p><p>            Zoya pushed herself to her feet, dusting off the jeans that she was wearing as she picked up the carrier by the handle, having to use both hands. “I’m ready!” she announced, grinning.</p><p>            With an awkward nod, Tatyana grabbed the handles of both suitcases, lifting them and leading the way back down the hall to the room that was attached to hers. It was another of the double suites, like the one that Mikhail and Nikolai had, with connecting doors. It had been decided that Zoya would move into the connecting suite rather than a separate room because it gave the girl a direct escape route to Tatyana if it was needed, as well as an additional exit from the room itself.</p><p>            Letting the girl push open the door, she followed her into the room, moving the suitcases to the open closet door and placing them on the bench inside. Exiting the closet, she motioned to the closed door that connected the two bedrooms. “That door will lead to my bedroom, in case of an emergency. Make sure you keep your door locked at night,” she stated, staring at the girl expectantly.</p><p>            Zoya nodded immediately, her expression serious as she put the carrier down. “Of course,” she stated. “I lock my door whenever I’m alone in the room.”</p><p>            “Good,” Tatyana murmured. “You stay here and start putting your things away. I’ll go retrieve the rest of the things you need for the kitten. Make sure you lock the door behind me.”</p><p>            “Are you sure you don’t need help?” Zoya questioned, taking a step forward.</p><p>            Tatyana shook her head, opening the door and looking over her shoulder. “I’m fine. Make sure you lock this,” she ordered softly, closing the door behind her.</p><p>            Zoya walked forward, locking the door as instructed with a smile. It might just be her, but Tatyana seemed a little more...relaxed. Turning to the carrier, she walked forward and dropped down in front of it. Opening the door, she pulled the kitten out, cuddling her and looking around the room. “Welcome to your new home, Yana. See that door there? Don’t go through it, okay?” She pointed at the door to Tatyana’s room, blushing lightly. Hopefully she’d be allowed to see it.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Tatyana delivered the remainder of the requested items to Zoya’s room, leaving the girl alone with instructions to again keep her door locked as she set about to unpacking her stuff and putting everything away. Walking to her own room, she locked her door again and flopped on the bed, biting her lip. She’d been in a perpetual state of arousal since her sister had interrupted her tentative exploration earlier and seeing Zoya dressed as she had been hadn’t helped her any.</p><p>            Grabbing clean clothing, she moved into the bathroom and started the shower, turning the temperature up slightly as she stripped, throwing the clothing into the bin. Placing her watch and phone on the counter tops, she shivered at the feeling of slickness between her legs, slightly surprised. She’d noticed how damp her underwear had been when she’d pulled them off.</p><p>            She bit her lip before stepping into the shower, letting the heat relax her tense body. How people dealt with this on a daily basis was beyond her. Then again, most people didn’t walk around aroused. Glancing at the slightly open bathroom door, she sat on the small bench in the shower and leaned back against the tiled wall. The feel of the water on her skin felt...sensual almost.</p><p>            Placing her hand directly on her breast, she gasped as the arousal shot through her. Thinking about how the girl had looked on the floor earlier, flushed and panting from the exertion of forcing the kitten back into the carrier she shuddered, pinching lightly at her nipple as her other hand moved down her body hesitantly. She imagined the girl in a different situation, with less clothing, amazed at the intensity of the spike of pleasure. Lightly, she trailed her fingers over her vulva, marvelling at how wet she was.</p><p>            Legs falling open, she pushed her fingers more firmly against her center, moaning softly at the feeling as her other hand continued to play with her breasts. As her fingers trailed up, she skimmed her clit, a loud whine falling from her lips. Pushing harder against the nub of flesh, she shuddered as she bucked up against her hand involuntarily. She rocked slightly against her hand, causing her fingers to slip lower.</p><p>            Biting her lip, she slowly pushed a single digit inside of herself, head falling back against the shower tile. She arched, pushing the finger deeper, a second one joining the first as she moved her hand in such a way to push her thumb against her clit. She rocked against her hand, unsure what she was looking for, but needing it anyway. Her body tensed and the hand she had against her breast dropped to join the other one, pressing forcefully against her clit.</p><p>            Within moments, she arched up tightly into her hands, a loud moan ripped from her throat in the form of a very familiar name as she experienced her first orgasm at her own hands. She was so invested in the pleasure that crashed over her that she failed to hear the small squeak that echoed from the bedroom as she collapsed back against the tiled wall, trying to catch her breath as her eyes fluttered closed, her entire body shaking.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Zoya gently closed the door between the two bedrooms, her entire body flushed and shaking as she slid to the floor in shock. She’d gone into the room to ask Tatyana if the woman had seen one of Yana’s toys when she’d gone back to her old room, but she hadn’t expected to see what she had. She’d entered the room and had heard the shower running. She’d only intended to take a peek, unable to stop herself from wanting to see the woman she loved undressed. She certainly hadn’t expected to see what she had. Nor had she expected to hear her name fall from the woman’s lips when she came.</p><p>            Biting her lip, Zoya looked up as Yana headbutted her leg, startling a laugh out of her. “Hello, Yana,” she whispered, reaching out to run her hand along the cat’s cream-colored fur. She sat leaning against the door as she waited for her heart to calm down, not daring to follow Tatyana’s example. If it had been that easy for her to walk in on Tatyana, she didn’t want to even think about what would happen if the same happened to her.</p><p>            It made her wonder, however, why the woman kept herself so distant from her. It was very obvious – especially now – that Tatyana was at the very least attracted to her. What was stopping the woman from approaching her? She thought back to the conversation that she’d had with Nikolai earlier in the week after she’d overheard Tatyana talking to her sister. Maybe it had something to do with what Nikolai wasn’t allowed to tell her.</p><p>            Frowning, she wondered what could possibly be bad enough to keep the woman at a distance. She went over and over ideas in her mind, unable to come up with a suitable explanation to account for the woman’s reaction to her when they were together. At times, the woman bordered on hostile. If she was attracted to her, why would she deny herself the chance to attract the attention that she very clearly wanted.</p><p>            She screamed as the door suddenly disappeared from behind her, causing her to fall back suddenly with a thud. Looking up, she blushed brightly as she saw a fully dressed Tatyana looking down at her in shock. Well shit.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>            Tatyana looked across the room at the girl who seemed to be avoiding looking at her. It was strange. She’d been fine up until the day she’d moved into the room that was connected to hers. Since then, however, she hadn’t been able to meet Tatyana’s eyes without going mute.</p><p>            Thinking about what had happened that day, Tatyana shifted uncomfortably, rubbing her eyes. She still didn’t know how she felt about what she’d done. She had definitely enjoyed herself, but it seemed to have caused a very bad chain reaction in her life. Every time she was around Zoya now, she couldn’t help but think about that day and how she had felt, wondering how much better it would be if someone else did that to her.</p><p>            It put her in quite the situation, because the idea of approaching anyone still made her feel like running in fear. She’d never felt so torn before, with her instincts telling her one thing and her heart and mind screaming at her to do something else. She’d thought of asking Karolina for help, but she didn’t even know how to go about that. What the hell would she even say?</p><p>            ‘Oh, by the way! I found out I quite enjoy diddling myself, so how do I get over my fear of approaching Zoya so we can do it together?’</p><p>            She blushed scarlet, imagining how badly that conversation would go for herself. Groaning, she dropped her head onto the table in front of her, completely oblivious to the shocked look being directed her way by the very same girl she was agonizing over. She knew that she was acting very out of character, but the idea wouldn’t leave her head.</p><p>            “Umm...Tatyana?”</p><p>            Startled, she looked up into Zoya’s eyes, blush still on her cheeks. Huh?</p><p>            “Are you okay?” Zoya questioned hesitantly, a slight blush on her cheeks.</p><p>            Sitting up straight, Tatyana nodded immediately, clearing her throat and wishing the blush she felt on her cheeks would go away. “Did you need something, Zoya?”</p><p>            “Nikolai has some friends coming over, and they were going to go swimming. I was wondering if you would mind if I joined them?” Zoya asked softly, looking down at the floor.</p><p>            ‘No!’ her mind screamed.</p><p>            Pushing the chair back, Tatyana got to her feet, ignoring the voice in her head as she nodded. “I’ll take you back to your room to change,” she murmured, walking off with Zoya following her quietly.</p><p>            “Are you okay though, Tatyana? You’ve been...different lately,” Zoya asked softly, keeping her eyes lowered.</p><p>            “I...yeah, I’m fine, Zoya,” Tatyana assured, avoiding looking back at the girl.</p><p>            “If...if you need to talk, I’m willing to listen,” Zoya offered, a hesitant smile on her lips. She forced herself to look up at the woman in front of her, the blush on her face deepening.</p><p>            Startled, Tatyana paused and looked back at the girl, meeting her eyes for the first time in the last three days. The thoughts going through her head really wasn’t something that she should be sharing with the girl in front of her. At least, not without figuring out exactly what those thoughts were telling her to do. The girl deserved more than that. “Thank you, Zoya. But...I’m fine.”</p><p>            Zoya nodded, the smile staying on her face. “Okay. The offer is there if you want it.”</p><p>            Tatyana stared at the girl, nodding her head slowly. “I...thank you.” Turning, she continued walking, only stopping again when they got to Zoya’s bedroom door. Opening the door, she checked the room before allowing the girl to enter with her.</p><p>            Closing the door and locking it, Tatyana motioned for the girl to get changed. “I’ll be back in a moment. I’m just going to change quickly and then I’ll be back to escort you downstairs.”</p><p>            “You’re going swimming too?” Zoya questioned, surprised. She hadn’t expected that.</p><p>            Shrugging, Tatyana walked to the door that separated their rooms, replying, “Swimming laps is good endurance training.”</p><p>            “Oh...” Zoya murmured as Tatyana walked through to her own bedroom, biting her lip.</p><p>            With a shake of her head, Zoya went into her closet and dug out her swimsuit, trying to ignore her reaction to the woman in the other room. She had told herself that day that she would not approach the woman first. It was obvious to Zoya that the other woman was dealing with something, so she would let her set the pace. She would just make sure that she was around if the woman ever decided she wanted to talk.</p><p>            Changing quickly, she pulled a loose dress over her head and grabbed a towel before exiting the closet to wait for Tatyana. Sitting on her bed, she smiled and reached out to run her fingers through Yana’s fur as she slept, shaking her head as the kitten didn’t even stir from her nap. Sighing, she glanced towards the closed door, wondering what was taking Tatyana so long.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Tatyana frowned at herself in the mirror, wondering if she should just forget about swimming. She’d forgotten that the only suit she had was the one that her sister had given her as a prank, knowing that she would never wear it. Blushing lightly, she glanced at the door to Zoya’s room, wondering how the girl would react at seeing her in it. Strangely, the idea of teasing the girl appealed to her in a very bad way. Nodding, she pulled on the matching wrap for the suit, shaking her head at how tame it was in comparison.</p><p>            Examining herself in the mirror one last time, she grabbed the towel from her bed and walked to the door between their rooms. Opening it, she nodded at Zoya, noticing how the girl’s eyes immediately went to her bare legs. Barely able to keep her expression blank, she asked, “Are you ready to go?”</p><p>            Zoya got to her feet, nodding as she walked towards the bedroom door. She paused near the door for Tatyana to open it and leave first before following her down the hall, heading for the back of the house. As she stared at the woman’s tanned legs, she somehow felt that she was about to end up in a very bad situation.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Tatyana looked up from the email she was composing from where she was sitting at the table near the pool as Nikolai walked through the back door with Fin and two other people. The four of them were laughing and carrying on as they neared the pool, Fin immediately breaking from the group to go sit on one of the reclining pool chairs that had an umbrella over it.</p><p>            “You guys go on,” Fin said, laughing. “I’m resting here.”</p><p>            “You sure you don’t want to swim, Fin?” one of the new people asked.</p><p>            “I’m sure. If I need to pee, I don’t think I’ll be able to get out quickly enough,” Fin stated, grinning. “I don’t think Mikhail would appreciate having to pay for someone to come drain the pool and clean it if I have an accident.”</p><p>            Nikolai laughed and walked over, leaning down to hug Fin. “Let me know if you need anything, okay? If you get too warm, just call out and I’ll bring you a drink.”</p><p>            Swatting at the boy, Fin nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ll let you know if I need you. Go have fun with those two.”</p><p>            Nikolai nodded, walking over to Zoya and grinning at her, hands on his hips. “Dress off, Zoya. Time to swim,” he announced before looking at Tatyana. “Are you joining us, Tatyana?”</p><p>            As Zoya giggled, pulling off her dress and leaving it on the chair she was sitting in, Tatyana nodded. “I’ll join you shortly. I just have to send an update to Zoya’s father first,” she stated, holding up her phone.</p><p>            “Cool!” Nikolai exclaimed, grabbing Zoya’s hand and pulling her to the pool where the other two people had already jumped in. “Guys! This is Zoya!”</p><p>            “Hey Zoya!” two voices immediately called out, laughing.</p><p>            “Zoya, the idiot with the blue swimsuit is Emery, and the gorgeous girl in the red is...” Nikolai started, only to be cut off suddenly.</p><p>            “Jodi!” Zoya exclaimed, grinning.</p><p>            “Hey Zoya!” the woman called, waving happily.</p><p>            Startled, Nikolai glanced between the two. “You two know each other?” he asked.</p><p>            “She’s the girl who helped me last week when I was out shopping with Tatyana,” Zoya explained, grinning.</p><p>            “I didn’t know you were friends with this nerd!” Jodi exclaimed, swimming closer and grinning up at the two of them.</p><p>            “I resent that,” Nikolai pouted.</p><p>            “You know we love you,” Jodi stated firmly, ignoring the objection behind her from their other friend.</p><p>            Zoya giggled, shaking her head. Sitting on the edge of the pool, she pushed herself into the water, letting herself go under completely. As she surfaced, she heard Emery ask Nikolai, “Who’s the other chick?”</p><p>            Zoya looked up, following Emery’s gaze and immediately felt her face go red. Tatyana was walking over to the pool, having discarded the wrap, leaving her in the poorest excuse for a bathing suit that Zoya had ever seen. The suit was a mixture a blue and green tie dye and was meant to be a full piece. However, with the number of pieces cut out of it, calling it a one-piece suit was a stretch.</p><p>            The suit seemed to be made of a piece of material that was designed to wrap around the body, instead of encasing it. The material flowed up around Tatyana’s body, tied off at her left hip and to the right of her chest to keep it from falling open and being indecent. The material ended at her neck in a halter style top. As Zoya watched, Tatyana stretched her arms above her head before diving cleanly into the deep end of the pool.</p><p>            “That’s Zoya’s girlfriend, Tatyana,” Jodi pointed out helpfully, grinning.</p><p>            “Girlfriend?” Nikolai and Emery both questioned, one confused and the other awed.</p><p>            Seeing the looks directed her way, Zoya moaned and let herself sink under the water. She couldn’t deal with this right now. She felt like she was about to combust. Where did that swimsuit even come from? She’d never seen one like that before. Then again, she also hadn’t worn jeans before last week either, so she really shouldn’t complain.</p><p>            The need to breathe forced her to resurface, only to face Nikolai’s inquisitive gaze immediately as his two friends had swam off to the other side of the pool.</p><p>            With an amused look, Nikolai murmured, “Something you need to tell me, Zoya?”</p><p>            Blushing brightly, Zoya threw herself at the boy. “Jodi assumed that we were dating...and Tatyana didn’t correct her,” she announced, pouting. “I didn’t know what to do, Nikolai. I panicked.”</p><p>            Laughing, Nikolai wrapped his arm around the girl, kicking his legs to stay afloat. “Well, don’t you think that’s something that you should explain?”</p><p>            Zoya shook her head, avoiding Nikolai’s eyes. “I...don’t want to. I like the idea of someone thinking we’re dating. And...” She trailed off, thinking about what she’d witnessed.</p><p>            Immediately sensing that the girl was hiding something big, Nikolai focused his entire attention on her. “And...?” he prompted eagerly.</p><p>            Biting her lip, Zoya shook her head, leaning closer. “And I maybe...might have possibly...saw something that I shouldn’t have...that suggests it might not be such a far-fetched idea after all.”</p><p>            Wide eyed, Nikolai’s head snapped around to stare at Tatyana where she was swimming laps. If he was right in assuming what that ‘something’ was, then Karolina had been correct in her assumption that Zoya was the best thing to happen to Tatyana. From what Karolina had said, Tatyana avoided any sort of emotion beyond friendship. Although it hadn’t been outright said, he’d taken that to mean anything sexual was included in that, alone or otherwise. If the woman had progressed that far, then maybe Zoya and her could actually have a chance.</p><p>            Grinning, he looked back at Zoya. “And how would you have seen that?”</p><p>            Moaning in embarrassment, Zoya sunk back under the water, pushing away from her friend as she heard him burst into laughter.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            “Master!” Nikolai exclaimed happily as Mikhail walked out of the house towards the pool. Dax, Charlie and Demetri were following, Demetri pointing out various things on the property as Dax nodded or shook her head. Tatyana had long since gotten out of the pool and was laying on a pool chair sunbathing, leaving only the four of them in the pool. Jake had come out an hour before to bring Fin back into the house to rest outside of the heat.</p><p>            “Hello, baby boy,” Mikhail rumbled softly, crouching down and running his fingers through the boy’s hair as he grinned up at him. “Are you having fun with your friends?”</p><p>            Nikolai nodded, looking back at where the two women were currently trying to push Emery under the water as he held them in a headlock, crowing in victory. “Thank you for letting me invite them,” he said happily.</p><p>            “This is your home too, Nikolai. Of course you’re allowed to invite people over,” Mikhail scolded, flicking the boy’s nose lightly and causing his eyes to cross as he pouted.</p><p>            “Mikhail, do you have any cameras directed to this area? And what’s that little hut over there used for?” Dax questioned, walking over to the edge of the pool.</p><p>            Looking up, Mikhail nodded, replying, “Currently there are two cameras pointed in this direction. The hut is an old ground keeper house. It hasn’t been used in years.”</p><p>            Dax nodded, waving at Charlie to make a note. “Do you need to keep the hut, or can it be demolished?”</p><p>            Smiling down at the boy he had married, Mikhail murmured softly, “If possible, I’d like to keep it. Sentimental value.”</p><p>            Startled, Dax looked at the pair before smiling and nodding. “We’ll install cameras to watch the hut as well then. We don’t want to leave such an obvious hiding place unmonitored.”</p><p>            “That’s fine,” Mikhail stated, standing as Nikolai pushed off the side of the pool and headed to help the girls as they screamed for him.</p><p>            Dax chuckled as she watched the four of them. “They seem close,” she murmured, her eyes on one particular person.</p><p>            “They are. Nikolai has been friends with the two since high school. They only just recently reconnected,” Mikhail commented, laughing as Nikolai’s ‘help’ put both girls under the water as he and Emery high fived.</p><p>            Dax hummed lightly before pulling her eyes away and forcing herself to focus on the matter at hand. “My men will be arriving tomorrow to start construction on the new monitor station upstairs. I’ll also have twenty guards that will be stationed around the perimeter, assisting with surveillance once the cameras are taken offline. We’re going to do it in such a way that the cameras will only be down for about an hour while the feed it transferred to the new monitor station,” she explained.</p><p>            “Just make sure you let me know when that’s going to be so I can send the triplets to assist Tatyana on watching Zoya,” Mikhail warned. He wanted no chance for someone to get to the girl.</p><p>            “Of course,” Dax assured, turning to Charlie to see him staring at the figures in the pool in shock. Frowning, she excused herself and walked to the man, placing her hand on his arm to get his attention. “Charlie?”</p><p>            Startled, he ripped his eyes from the people in the pool and looked down at the woman at his side. “Hmm?” he murmured, forcing himself to keep his gaze locked onto his boss.</p><p>            “Are you okay?” Dax questioned softly, pulling him off to the side and away from Mikhail and Demetri.</p><p>            “I...yeah,” Charlie whispered, shaking his head. His eyes flicked towards the pool again and a slight flush crossed his features.</p><p>            “You sure about that?” she asked, amused. She’d never seen him react to someone like this before. “Who are you staring at?”</p><p>            Glaring at Dax, Charlie cleared his throat before rolling his eyes at her knowing look. Jerking his chin towards the end of the pool where one of the figures was resting, laughing, he said, “That one.”</p><p>            Eyebrows arched in surprise, Dax nodded. “I never pegged you for that type, Charlie,” she murmured, impressed.</p><p>            Charlie shook his head, turning his back to the pool to avoid the temptation of looking again. “Yeah, well. I haven’t been in a relationship in a long time, Dax.”</p><p>            Placing her hand on his arm, Dax smiled. “Maybe you’ll get more chances to see him. We will be here quite often, you know.”</p><p>            “Maybe...” he murmured, noncommittally. “Mikhail, we should have enough to start planning a layout for the men to start installs tomorrow.”</p><p>            Looking over at the two, Mikhail nodded, motioning towards the house after waving good-bye to Nikolai. “Let’s head inside then,” he stated, all business.</p><p>            Nodding, Dax and Charlie followed after the man, each of them throwing another glance over their shoulder at people in the pool before the entered the house.</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello! As I'm sure that you've all noticed by now, the first instalment of this series, It Means "To Be Loved", has been taken down. The reasoning for this is that I've published it via Amazon! Both digital and physical copies are available to be purchased. As a heads up, however, the physical version had to be split into two books as it was too large to publish in one single volume. It would make me extremely happy if those of you that enjoyed the first would take the time to check it out, and maybe even purchase a copy. </p><p>Thanks for your support!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>            “Hey Nikolai?” Emery murmured, pushing himself up to sit on the edge of the pool as he stared after the group that went back into the house.</p><p>            “Yeah?” Nikolai responded, breaking away from the girls and swimming over to his other friend.</p><p>            “Who...who was that guy just now?” Emery questioned, staring down at the boy.</p><p>            “Guy?” Nikolai repeated, confused as he looked towards the house. “Which one?”</p><p>            “The one I haven’t met yet,” Emery stated dryly, staring down at Nikolai.</p><p>            “Oh...” Nikolai murmured, blushing lightly. “I forgot you’d met Demetri before. The other guy is Charlie.”</p><p>            “Charlie, huh?” Emery questioned, smiling lightly.</p><p>            “Oh, no. Get the idea out of your head, Emery,” Nikolai ordered, laughing. “He’s up there with my Master, and you’ve never had <em>any</em> interest in things like that.”</p><p>            “What do you mean?” Emery questioned, frowning.</p><p>            “BDSM, Emery,” Nikolai murmured, grinning. “He’s a Dom.”</p><p>            “Oh...” Emery murmured, blushing lightly as his gaze went to the house. “I don’t...necessarily object to the idea...”</p><p>            A shocked giggle escaping him, Nikolai stared at his friend in disbelief. “Since when were you interested in that stuff?”</p><p>            Head dropping against his chest, Emery shook his head, shrugging. “When you left high school, I got curious and started looking things up on the internet. It...interested me more than I thought it would. I haven’t done anything with anyone, but the idea...keeps floating through my head,” he admitted, scowling at his lap as he felt himself twitch in interest.</p><p>            Collapsing against the side of the pool, Nikolai broke into giggles, ignoring the half-hearted glare that was thrown down at him. “I’m sorry, Emery. I really am,” he gasped, patting his friend’s knee reassuringly. “How do you know if you’d enjoy it if you’ve never tried anything? I didn’t even realize you were gay.”</p><p>            Sighing, Emery nodded. “My pops wasn’t exactly supportive about it when he found out. Since my mom left him, he’s been a right prick. Finding out his only son liked dick was a little too much for him. He kicked me out of the house when I turned eighteen,” he explained.</p><p>            Nikolai’s giggles tapered off as he stared up at his friend, frowning. “Where did you stay after that?” he asked softly.</p><p>            “With friends mostly. A shelter a couple times when no one had a spare sofa for me to sleep on,” Emery replied, embarrassed. “I haven’t been able to hold down a job because of it though, so I pick up work where I can.”</p><p>            “Wait, where do you live now then?” Nikolai demanded, scowling up at his friend.</p><p>            “Nikolai, don’t overreact, please,” Emery begged, motioning for the boy to calm down.</p><p>            “Are you living in a shelter right now?” Nikolai demanded, pushing himself out of the water.</p><p>            Seeing the look in the boy’s eyes, Emery sighed, nodding. “The friend I was staying with had to go out of town and didn’t want me staying there alone. I’ve only been in the shelter for a couple of days, Nikolai. I’ll find a new place soon,” he hurried to explain, hands flopping onto his lap as Nikolai glared before turning and marching into the house. “Well, shit.”</p><p>            “What’s up with Nikolai? He looks like someone told him that his favorite ice cream flavor got discontinued,” Jodi murmured, swimming over with Zoya following close behind.</p><p>            Shaking his head, Emery picking at the string dangling from his shorts. “I made the mistake of telling him where I was living currently,” he admitted.</p><p>            Understanding dawning, Jodi nodded. “That’ll do it,” she confirmed, placing a reassuring hand on Emery’s knee. “It’s probably for the best, you know. If anyone can fix it, he will.”</p><p>            Concerned, Zoya looked up at the nice man she’d met just a few hours before. “Where are you living?”</p><p>            “At a shelter,” Emery murmured, looking away uncomfortably.</p><p>            “A shelter? What’s that?” Zoya questioned, looking to Jodi.</p><p>            “A homeless shelter, Zoya,” Jodi explained, her eyes soft.</p><p>            “What?” Zoya gasped, unable to believe that the boy before her was in such a situation. “Why? What about your parents?”</p><p>            Emery laughed softly, shaking his head. “My mom divorced my pops and when he found out I was gay, he kicked me out of the house.”</p><p>            “Because you’re gay?” Zoya shrieked, offended. “But you’re his son!”</p><p>            “Someone should tell him that,” Emery muttered, running his hand through his hair.</p><p>            Growling, Zoya turned and pushed off the side of the pool, heading for the side where Tatyana had immediately gotten to her feet upon hearing Zoya shriek. Holding out her hand to the woman, she glared up, demanding, “Pull me out. I need to kick someone’s ass.”</p><p>            Shocked, Tatyana immediately did as ordered, asking, “Kick someone’s ass? What?”</p><p>            Emery and Jodi watched in shock and amusement as Zoya was pulled from the pool by Tatyana, realizing that the small woman was almost exactly like Nikolai in a lot of ways. As Jodi grinned up at Emery, she murmured, “I think your life just got a whole lot better.”</p><p>            Emery pushed himself to his feet, grasping Jodi’s hand and pulling her out of the pool as well before walking over towards where Zoya was on the phone with a shocked Tatyana watching on.</p><p>            “Papa! I demand you do something about this!” Zoya declared angrily into the phone.</p><p>            “What’s going on?” Jodi questioned softly, looking at Tatyana.</p><p>            “I...honestly don’t know,” Tatyana replied, voice awed. She’d never seen the girl act like this before. Usually she was so quiet and contained. She winced as she heard the girl start screaming in Russian, glad that the two next to her couldn’t understand. Those were some impressive death threats that the girl was spewing.</p><p>            “I mean it, Papa! You have one day to get the paperwork to Mikhail for him to sign!” Zoya announced before disconnecting the call and handing the phone back to Tatyana.</p><p>            “Uh...Zoya, what did you just do?” Tatyana questioned, staring at the girl.</p><p>            Ignoring the woman, Zoya walked to Emery and smiled up at him, taking his hands in hers. “Papa will take care of everything. If your ‘pops’ doesn’t want a son as beautiful as you, then that’s his loss. Papa is drawing up the papers needed to change your name and instate you as his son,” she announced smugly.</p><p>            “But...you don’t need to do that, Zoya!” Emery exclaimed, shaking his head and trying to pull his hands from the iron grip the girl had on them.</p><p>            “Nonsense. He doesn’t deserve you and it’s obvious that you are a wonderful person that deserves the world. If your only objection is that you don’t want to be an inconvenience or something like that, then hush. I’ve always wanted a little brother,” Zoya stated firmly, smiling up at him.</p><p>            Jodi burst into laughter, startling the three of them. Clapping her hand on Emery’s shoulder, she grinned. “Well, congratulations on your new family, Emery!”</p><p>            Moments later, Nikolai reappeared at the door leading to the house, scowl still firmly in place as he shouted, “Emery! My Master wants to speak to you!”</p><p>            “What...?” Emery muttered, wide eyed as he stared between Nikolai and the girl in front of him.</p><p>            “Come on, then. It’s rude to keep people waiting on you,” Zoya stated, pulling the shocked boy after her. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you know everything that you need to know.”</p><p>            Quickly gathering their things, Tatyana walked after the duo, Jodi falling into step beside her as they watched Nikolai grab Emery’s other hand. “Zoya, your dress,” she murmured, holding out the item to the girl when she looked back.</p><p>            “Thank you, Tatyana,” Zoya stated, grabbing the dress and letting go of Emery’s hand long enough to pull it over her head so that she was covered.</p><p>            Following the girl’s example, Tatyana shrugged into her own wrap, shaking her head in amusement. It looks like they’d just gained another person they needed to protect.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Mikhail looked at the assembled group, frowning in thought. “Are you okay, Emery?” he questioned, that being his primary concern.</p><p>            “I mean...overwhelmed, but otherwise okay, yeah,” he responded, glancing at the girl next to him. He couldn’t believe that she’d actually called her father in <em>Russia</em> and demanded that the man essentially adopt him.</p><p>            “Papa will be sending you papers, Mikhail. Emery will need to sign them and then he’ll need a guard as well,” Zoya stated, her tone indicating she wouldn’t take no for an answer.</p><p>            Raising a brow at the girl, he met her eyes long enough to cause her to blush and duck her head.</p><p>            “Sorry, Sir,” she murmured, biting her lip.</p><p>            Mikhail shook his head, sighing. “Someone explain to me what happened, please?”</p><p>            “Oh! I got this!” Jodi exclaimed, grinning. “Emery told Zoya that his father kicked him out of the house when he found out he liked dick and that he was living in a shelter, so she called her father and now Emery is essentially being adopted by Zoya’s father.”</p><p>            “I...see,” Mikhail murmured, blinking in shock. He had to admit that he’d been a little pissed as well upon hearing the same story told to him by Nikolai. How someone could abandon their kid that way would be something he’d never understand. “Nikolai, baby boy. I thought we agreed no more strays?”</p><p>            Blushing, Nikolai walked to his Master where he sat, plucking at his sleeve as he bit his lip. “Please?” he questioned, pleading.</p><p>            Sighing at the look in his boy’s eyes, Mikhail nodded. “Fine.”</p><p>            Grinning, Nikolai leaned down and pressed a kiss to his Master’s cheek. “I love you, husband!”</p><p>            “I love you too, brat,” Mikhail stated fondly, looking at the group in front of them. “Demetri will drive you to the shelter to gather your things, Emery. He’ll then take you out to get anything you need, and you’ll then move into this house. We’re going to need more people with the increased security, so I’ll have you training under Yuri.”</p><p>            Emery shook his head, eyes wide. “You don’t need to do that, Sir! Honestly!”</p><p>            “Nikolai was telling me you were having trouble keeping a job because of your living situation. Was that not true?” Mikhail demanded, standing and walking around the edge of the desk.</p><p>            Gulping, Emery nodded, shivering. “That...that’s true, Sir.”</p><p>            “I’m offering you a job. Because of the nature of that job, it requires you be present on the estate for long periods of time. It is easier if I just have you move here, as with the other men and women that I have employed here,” Mikhail stated, explaining his reasoning. “If Vaslav goes through and adopts you, you’ll have to be moved here anyway for your own protection.”</p><p>            “My own protection?” Emery whispered, blinking up at the man in front of him.</p><p>            Frowning over his shoulder at Nikolai, Mikhail demanded, “Did you not tell him who I was, or what I did, brat?”</p><p>            Nikolai shook his head, wincing. “I thought it was something that you didn’t want me to talk about, Master,” he explained.</p><p>            “We’ll talk later, baby boy,” Mikhail warned, turning back to the group in front of him. “Have you not heard of me before, Emery?”</p><p>            “Umm...I don’t even know your last name, Sir,” Emery whispered, shooting a glance at Nikolai as he saw the grimace cross his face.</p><p>            “Nikolai...” Mikhail growled, rubbing his hand across his face.</p><p>            “Sorry!” Nikolai squeaked, bowing his head. He was in for it when his Master got him alone.</p><p>            Holding out his hand to Emery, Mikhail watched the boy take it in a handshake, stating, “My name is Mikhail Romanov.”</p><p>            “Romanov!?” Emery whispered, paling. He knew that name. That name meant a <em>lot</em> of things in their city, and most of it not good based on the rumors he’d heard. How the hell did Nikolai end up with him?</p><p>            “Yes, Romanov,” Mikhail confirmed, releasing the boy’s hand. “Zoya is a guest from Russia. Her father sent her to me for protection when someone there started targeting her to get to him.”</p><p>            “Wait,” Emery whispered, looking at the small, innocent girl next to him. “Does that mean your father is...?”</p><p>            Zoya nodded, smiling proudly. “Top mafia family in Russia!”</p><p>            “Oh...” he whispered before his eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed, unconscious.</p><p>            As Mikhail caught him, Zoya frowned in concern. “Well, fiddlesticks.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Dax walked out of the house towards the pool, observing the lithe figure that swam laps. She was drawn to the girl, which was unusual in and of itself. It wasn’t often that she was drawn to someone. The last time had been when she was still living in China with her parents. That hadn’t lasted long though. When the girl had found out who she was, and who her family was, she’d run. She’d moved to the US to get away from her family and make a name for herself, and she’d succeeded.</p><p>            Her business was the best for a reason, and she had put a lot of her life into that business. Sometimes she wondered if maybe she hadn’t pushed too hard. Everyone in her family was always after her to get married and have children, stating that she wasn’t getting any younger. The only one who didn’t bother her was her brother, but he had his own problems to worry about.</p><p>            Walking up to the pool side, she cleared her throat loudly when the girl surfaced near her. Looking down at the smiling face, she cursed her immediate response. “Mikhail asked me to let you know that your friends will be unavailable for a while,” she stated softly, head tilting at the understanding nod the girl gave.</p><p>            “I kind of figured that would happen,” Jodi stated, smiling. “Let me guess, Emery fainted?”</p><p>            Slowly, Dax nodded. “How did you know?” she inquired.</p><p>            Jodi shook her head before swimming to the ladder attached to the side of the pool. Climbing out, she replied, “He’s always been easy to shock. Depending on how extreme the shock, he’d be likely to pass out.”</p><p>            Dax nodded, examining the girl’s body subtly. “Did you need a ride home?” she questioned softly, unable to stop herself.</p><p>            Smiling widely, Jodi nodded as she wrapped herself in a towel. “That would be amazing, if you don’t mind.”</p><p>            “Not at all. I’ll...meet you out front,” Dax stated before turning and walking away.</p><p>            Jodi laughed softly, watching the woman walk away. It only took her a few minutes to get changed and meet the woman at the front of the house, sliding into the car and storing her backpack on the floor in front of her. Giving Dax her address, she looked out the window at the scenery, the silence settling between them comfortably.</p><p>            Dax glanced at the girl periodically as she drove, wondering why the girl drew her attention as much as she did. By the end of the drive, she still hadn’t figured it out and it irked her a little. As she pulled up in front of the girl’s apartment building, she frowned. She knew the man that was sitting outside on the bench.</p><p>            “Adam?” Jodi murmured happily, a smile stretching her lips.</p><p>            “You know him?” Dax questioned immediately, eyes narrowed.</p><p>            Jodi grabbed her bag and nodded, smiling. Pushing open the car door, she stated, “Yeah, he’s my boyfriend. Thanks for the ride, Ms. Zhou.”</p><p>            Dax blinked in shock, watching the girl run up to one of the deadliest people on her Uncle’s payroll. How in the world did she get mixed up with him?</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Emery moaned softly, his hand moving to his head as he wondered what the hell had happened. The last thing he’d remembered was finding out about Mikhail and...oh...</p><p>            “Well, fuck,” he muttered, rubbing his face.</p><p>            “Language.”</p><p>            Yelping, he bolted upright, meeting the slightly amused eyes of the man he’d been asking Nikolai about earlier. Looking around the room, he frowned when he noticed he was in a bedroom, with no one else in sight. Cursing Nikolai for leaving him alone with the man, he looked down.</p><p>            “Sorry, Sir,” he whispered instinctively, blushing at the sharp intake of breath from the other man.</p><p>            Charlie clenched his teeth, staring at the young man sitting on the bed. He’d been resigned to leaving the kid alone, deciding that he wasn’t going to even try and step into ‘normal’. It just wasn’t for him. But that response had been automatic once he’d realized who was with him, letting him know that he wouldn’t be stepping into ‘normal’ by getting involved with the kid. However, something told him that he wasn’t used to the kind of relationship he usually had.</p><p>            “You’re excused, brat,” he stated firmly, smirking at the shiver that went through the young man. “Now, do you remember what happened before you passed out?”</p><p>            Clearing his throat nervously, Emery nodded.</p><p>            “When I ask a question, I want a verbal answer, brat,” Charlie ordered.</p><p>            “Sorry, Sir,” Emery whispered. “Mikhail told me exactly who he was, and then I found out who Zoya’s father was.”</p><p>            “Alright,” Charlie nodded, happy he didn’t have to explain it all again. “And how does that make you feel?”</p><p>            Emery shrugged, unable to answer. “I...I don’t know,” he admitted. “For all intents and purposes, Zoya’s father is getting paperwork drawn up to change my name and instate me as his ‘son’ which will make me related to Zoya, but also makes me part of their family...”</p><p>            “Okay,” Charlie murmured. “You realize that you have the choice to say no, right? You’re not obligated to say yes to her, or her father, if you’re uncomfortable.”</p><p>            Emery tilted his head, frowning. It wasn’t so much that he was uncomfortable with the idea. After all, Zoya seemed very nice and reminded him a lot of Nikolai, so he figured her father would be a good man as well. His thoughts turned to his own father and he bit his lip, thinking of the man’s reaction when he’d found out about him. He was already a disappointment to one man, he didn’t want to be a disappointment to another.</p><p>            “It’s...not so much that I’m uncomfortable,” he whispered, plucking at the blanket. “I just...”</p><p>            Charlie frowned, leaning forward slightly. “You just what?” he pushed.</p><p>            Shaking his head, Emery scowled. “It’s nothing. It’s just me being stupid,” he muttered.</p><p>            “I asked you a question, brat,” Charlie warned, staring at the kid.</p><p>            “But...” Emery protested, looking up. He blushed at the look on the other man’s face as all protests died.</p><p>            Standing, Charlie moved to the edge of the bed and sat next to Emery, taking one of the boy’s hands in his own. “Emery, you don’t have to worry about anyone in this house judging you,” he assured, holding the kid’s hand in his. “And you definitely don’t have to worry about me doing so.”</p><p>            Emery shook his head, staring at the hands holding his. “I just...don’t want to be a...disappointment to someone else,” he admitted, scowling.</p><p>            “A disappointment?” Charlie questioned, surprised. “How would you be a disappointment?”</p><p>            “Well, that’s what happened with my pops,” he snapped. “He was disappointed that his only son turned out to be a dirty faggot, so he kicked me out. Now he’s alone...”</p><p>            Growling, Charlie grabbed the kid’s chin firmly in his hand, jerking his head up to meet his eyes. “I’ll say this once, and once only, kid. You don’t use that word to describe yourself ever again. If your father has an issue with that, then that’s <em>his</em> problem, not yours. I will not tolerate you thinking like that, especially in this house,” he ordered angrily, shaking his kid’s head lightly as he stared up at him in shock. “Do you understand me, brat?”</p><p>            Emery found himself unable to look away from the man as he glared down at him. He’d never been so terrified and turned on his in life. Licking his lips, he gasped as he saw Charlie’s eyes flick down to watch his tongue. Hesitantly, he lifted a shaking hand and placed it on Charlie’s wrist. He licked his lips as he gathered his courage, remembering how Nikolai referred to Mikhail and wondering if now was really an appropriate time to do what he was thinking. “I understand...Master,” he whispered huskily.</p><p>            Charlie froze, staring down at the kid in shock. “You don’t know what you’re playing with, kid,” he warned dangerously. Releasing the young man’s chin, he quickly put some distance between them before he did something that he would regret. The kid was way too young for him to get involved with. He was almost thirty-five years old, and he couldn’t be much older than Nikolai. He ignored the voice in his head that pointed out the age gap between Mikhail and Nikolai, as well as Fin, Yuri and Jake.</p><p>            Flushing, Emery knelt clumsily on the edge of the bed as he bowed his head. “Then...why don’t you teach me, Master?” he requested, his tone a little firmer.</p><p>            Charlie stared at the young man, shaking his head in amazement while fighting with his instincts as the kid kept his head bowed submissively. His form was sloppy at best, his tone a tad too insolent, he was way too young for him. It was obvious he’d never done anything like this before. He’d never gone for the newbies before, and it was obvious that was what the young man was. He’d eat his shoe if the kid wasn’t truly innocent. Then, all that in mind, why did he find the damn boy so irresistible?</p><p>            Snarling, he stalked forward and gripped the boy’s hair, yanking his head back to meet his eyes. “Teach you? What makes you think you can be taught?” he growled, glaring down into the boy’s eyes.</p><p>            Emery shuddered, lips falling open as he gasped. He tried to force himself to focus but was unsuccessful. The only thing filling his mind was the man hovering over him. He tried his best to respond, he really did.</p><p>            Snorting, Charlie released the boy violently, causing him to fall backwards on the bed. He growled when he saw the prominent erection through the boy’s swim trunks, cursing his body for responding as he reached down and gripped himself tightly through the jeans he wore. “Teach you. Right,” he scoffed, shaking his head. “You can’t even learn to accept yourself; how can you accept someone like me?”</p><p>            Emery shook his head, tears in his eyes as he scrambled to his knees. “No! I do accept myself,” he protested, falling on all fours and reaching out to the man.</p><p>            “Really? ‘Dirty faggot’, were the words I believed you used,” Charlie snapped, crossing his arms and ensuring he stayed out of arms reach.</p><p>            “No! I...I don’t think that,” Emery denied, shaking his head. “That’s what he thought. I would...I would never think that. I had the choice to change, to pretend, and I refused. <em>That’s</em> why I was kicked out. Because I refused to be something I wasn’t.” Collapsing against the bed, his body shook with silent tears as he clutched at the bed clothes. He couldn’t believe he was acting like this. The one thing he hadn’t wanted to do was disappoint someone else in his life, and he’d managed that in such a short time.</p><p>            Charlie relaxed a little, the scowl slipping from his features as he watched the kid break down, shaking his head as he heard the kid muttering about how he was still a disappointment. Maybe he’d been too hard on the kid. It had been a couple years since he’d had his own submissive and while the relationship had ended on good terms, it didn’t mean he was completely on his A game. Moving to the bed, he reached down and placed a gentle hand on the back of the kid’s head. “Hey...stop crying,” he ordered softly.</p><p>            Emery froze as he felt the hand on his head before sobbing loudly and throwing himself up and at the man, his arms going around his neck as his face buried itself in the muscled chest. “I’m sorry,” he cried, trying to stop the tears from falling but unable to.</p><p>            Frowning, Charlie pulled the young man into his arms and sat on the edge of the bed, cradling the boy in his lap. He sighed as he rocked the boy, thinking that he was going soft to not be able to walk away from the boy like he had previous submissives.</p><p>            To be honest, he was a little surprised by the young man. On first glance he hadn’t thought to associate him with his type of lifestyle. If he had, he would definitely never have pegged the kid for a submissive. A switch like Yuri, maybe. But even that would have been pushing it. Maybe he’d just gotten used to seeing submissives like Nikolai, Fin and Sammy, that he’d forgotten that you didn’t have to be small to be submissive.</p><p>            Grunting, he shifted the young man in his lap, shushing him when he whined. “I’m not putting you down, brat. I’m shifting you. You’re not exactly light, you know,” he muttered, wiggling his toes to try and get some feeling back in them.</p><p>            Immediately, Emery tried to pull back from the taller man, concerned. “I’m sorry...” he whispered, tugging at the arms holding him tight.</p><p>            Charlie growled, landing a hard slap on the kid’s ass. “Sit still, brat,” he ordered.</p><p>            Biting his lip, Emery froze, staring up at the taller man as his face flushed. He knew he wasn’t the lightest person in the world. Running on the football team all throughout high school and university did that to a guy. Despite his size, however, the man on whose lap he was sitting was still a lot bigger than him.</p><p>            It was strange. Most people who saw him assumed that he’d be the stereotypical jock, all up in your face and boastful. But he wasn’t. He’d gotten into university on a full scholarship for football, but he’d made the most of his time there, graduating with honors in business management. He’d been scouted by professional NFL teams, but had declined their offers. He had never wanted to play football to begin with and had only joined the team to keep his father happy. When he’d been kicked out, he’d used it as a means to get a good education, nothing more.</p><p>            Had it not been for football, he probably would have ended up as small as Nikolai. Taller, yes, but not as bulky. Blinking, he refocused on the man, blushing. “Sorry, Master,” he murmured, contrite. He knew he was pushing things by insisting on calling the man that, but he couldn’t help himself. He’d never been so drawn to someone before in his life, and despite what Nikolai thought, and what he’d said, he had explored. He had never been in a relationship, but that didn’t mean that he hadn’t watched how people interacted with each other.</p><p>            Sighing, Charlie stared down at the kid, shaking his head. “I’m not what you’re looking for, brat,” he stated firmly, trying to convince himself more so than the young man. He really couldn’t handle training someone new.</p><p>            Boldly, Emery shook his head, taking a page out of his friend’s book. “You don’t know what I’m looking for, Master,” he murmured, leaning up.</p><p>            “Don’t,” Charlie warned, not moving as his voice turned cold. “You continue and you won’t like what’s coming, Emery.”</p><p>            Licking his lips, Emery shifted in Charlie’s lap, shaking his head slightly as he stared at the man’s mouth. “Somehow, I really doubt that,” he whispered before placing his lips against Charlie’s, moaning softly as he felt the soft flesh against his own. Parting his lips, his tongue flicked out to taste the other man.</p><p>            Charlie shattered as he felt the kid’s tongue against his lips, his arms tightening around the young man as one hand slipped into Emery’s hair to hold his head steady. His other hand trailed down to grab the ass that was perched on his lap as he took immediate control of the kiss, devouring the young man. He’d told him. He’d fucking told him to stop. He’d done his best to prevent this.</p><p>            Standing, he flipped them around, dropping the young man onto the mattress and ripping free of his arms. Glaring, he stalked to the door, grinning darkly as he heard the protest behind him. “Oh, don’t you worry your stubborn little head,” he snarled, locking the door and ripping his shirt over his head. “You wanted this? Well, you have it. Now strip.”</p><p>            Wide eyed, Emery stared at the man as he almost tore his jeans off his body before scrambling to follow his instructions, barely managing to finish before the man was on top of him again. As his mouth was attacked, he shuddered in disbelief, wondering if he should have listened before deciding that he never would have been able to stay away to begin with.</p><p>            Charlie bit at Emery’s lips, staring down into wide eyes as he pulled back, pushing the kid further onto the bed. “I don’t share, brat,” he stated, his hand going for broke and wrapping around the boy’s erection.</p><p>            Shaking his head, Emery arched into the touch as he tried to pay attention, knowing somehow that he would be required to respond. “I...I don’t want anyone else, Master.”</p><p>            “You’ll listen to me, or you’ll be punished,” Charlie declared, hand slipping to the kid’s entrance to rub the twitching hole.</p><p>            “Listen...or be punished, Master,” Emery repeated, eyes wide at the feeling of the man’s fingers as his hands scrambled for purchase on the man’s shoulders.</p><p>            “You’ll be respectful towards those who have decided to take you in, at all times. I won’t hear about you talking back to someone. If that happens, you will have one chance to explain your actions,” Charlie stated, lifting his hand to Emery’s mouth and putting two fingers against his lips. “Suck.”</p><p>            Startled, Emery hesitantly opened his mouth and drew the fingers into his mouth, moaning softly at the feel of the flesh against his tongue. His eyes darted downwards, landing on Charlie’s erection with another moan. Flicking his eyes upwards, he made sure the other man was looking when he looked back down, twirling his tongue around the man’s fingers enticingly.</p><p>            Charlie shuddered at the look in the kid’s eyes as his gaze slipped down and landed on his aching flesh. “You want to taste me, brat?” he growled, drawing the eyes back to his own.</p><p>            Emery met Charlie’s eyes again as he nodded, releasing a whine around the fingers in his mouth.</p><p>            Pulling his fingers free, Charlie flipped the boy onto his side, kneeling next to his face as his soaking fingers went back to Emery’s hole. “Well, brat? What are you waiting for? You have until I finish preparing you to get me wet enough.”</p><p>            As his fingers pushed into the tight heat below, his dick was enveloped in the wet heat above as Emery moved closer, wrapping his lips around him. Shuddering, he focused on stretching the boy. He wasn’t small, by any stretch of the imagination, and unless the boy was properly stretched, this would hurt a lot more than necessary. He didn’t want to damage the boy, after all.</p><p>            “You’ll learn, and you’ll learn quickly,” Charlie snarled, pushing into the boy’s mouth as his hand twisted, pushing another finger in next to the two already inside.</p><p>            Emery whimpered around the flesh in his mouth, doing his best to nod. He’d do whatever the man instructed him to, so long as it didn’t involve hurting someone else.</p><p>            “I really don’t have time for this, brat. But you just had to insist, didn’t you?” Charlie stated, pulling his fingers free and pulling the boy off his dick. “One last chance, brat. This is the <em>only</em> chance you’ll get.”</p><p>            Emery shook his head, pulling free from Charlie’s grip as he adjusted himself so he was on his hands and knees in front of the man. Looking over his shoulder, he whispered huskily, “Master...”</p><p>            Groaning, Charlie shuddered, moving forward and placing his dick against the boy’s entrance. Slowly, he sunk into the tight heat, looking up when he heard the low whine that escaped the young man underneath him. Frowning, he shook his head to clear it, realizing that the kid was a little <em>too</em> tight.</p><p>            Realization dawning, he cursed. “Please tell me you’ve done this before, Emery. Please tell me you aren’t a virgin,” he demanded, stopping halfway in.</p><p>            Thinking the other man would stop completely, Emery gritted his teeth and pushed back against Charlie, seating himself fully as a loud whimper escaped. “Not...not anymore,” he whispered as he struggled to control his breathing.</p><p>            Shaking his head, Charlie looked down at the boy underneath him, unable to believe what he’d heard. Shuddering, he collapsed on top of the boy’s back, his arms wrapping around his middle as he rested his forehead between the kid’s shoulder blades. “Why didn’t you say anything?” he whispered harshly, forcing himself not to move.</p><p>            “Would you have done this?” Emery whispered back, his voice small as he waited to be rejected.</p><p>            Charlie tightened his arms, pressing a kiss against the skin of his back. “Not like this, I wouldn’t have,” he admitted. He also knew that had he known the kid was a virgin, he definitely would never have been able to stay away. It was something he’d always been bad at. The idea of being someone’s first had always enticed him more than it should have.</p><p>            “That’s why I didn’t say anything,” Emery stated, clenching around the man as he shifted, moaning.</p><p>            Hands dropping to Emery’s hips, Charlie grit his teeth as he shifted back to his knees behind the kid. Looking at where they joined, his fingers tightened on the hips. “Don’t fucking move,” he ordered, trying to reign in his control. “Just don’t.”</p><p>            “Why...?” Emery whined, clenching again as he shifted his weight.</p><p>            Cursing out loud, Charlie brought his hand down hard on Emery’s ass, the sharp slap echoing through the room. Unfortunately for Charlie, however, the slap had the opposite effect that he’d been expecting.</p><p>            As the sting radiated through his lower half, Emery moaned loudly, bucking back against the man. Arms giving out under him, he collapsed forward, the changed angle making him shiver and clench tight around the man inside him as he felt the small bundle of nerves inside him get prodded.</p><p>            Charlie groaned, hips snapping forward as the kid collapsed, his control scattered in the wind as he felt the heat around him get tighter. “Fuck,” he snarled as he fell forward, one hand going under the kid to grab his erection as his hips moved almost on their own, pounding into the kid. Despite his best efforts, Emery was going to be fucking sore when this was over. There was no question of that.</p><p>            Emery shuddered, pushing back hard against the man as breathy moans and gasps fell from his lips. This was better than anything he’d ever expected to feel, and he felt like he was going to come apart at the seams. His hands searched for purchase on the bed clothing, sobbing as he felt the pleasure wash over him, almost drowning him.</p><p>            Growling, Charlie quickened his pace, his hand twisting around the erection in his hand. Feeling the boy tighten around him, he whispered, “Come for me, Emery.”</p><p>            At the words, Emery stiffened, his entire body seizing up as he tossed his head back, a wordless scream ripped from his throat.</p><p>            Charlie cursed as he felt the young man become impossibly tight, bucking his hips forward. Dropping forward, he bit down hard on the boy’s shoulder, groaning as he released into the tight heat.</p><p>            Whining at the pain in his shoulder, Emery collapsed, the weight of the other man proving to be too much for his body. As he felt the cooling wet spot underneath him, he hummed tiredly, shivering as Charlie pulled out of him and fell to his side. Turning, he winced at the pain in his lower back as he draped himself across Charlie’s torso so he was almost completely on top of the man.</p><p>            Charlie chuckled softly as Emery made himself comfortable on top of him, glad that it was summer because the boy had just made it impossible for him to get a blanket to cover them both. Running his hand down the boy’s back, he palmed one of his ass cheeks, squeezing lightly.</p><p>            Arching away from the touch, Emery nuzzled the chest he was laying on. “Sore...” he murmured softly, half asleep.</p><p>            “Should have thought of that before you pushed me, brat,” Charlie scolded lightly, removing his hand and resting it on Emery’s lower back, rubbing softly.</p><p>            “S’fine...” Emery whispered, yawning widely. “S’okay if it’s you.”</p><p>            Charlie stared down at the boy, unable to stop the burst of laughter that escaped him. “That’s good to know,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to the kid’s head.</p><p>            Emery tilted his head back, pressing a tired kiss to the underside of Charlie’s jaw as he smiled softly, slipping into sleep.</p><p>            Eyes on the kid, Charlie shook his head in wonder. “Where the fuck did you come from, Emery?” he whispered to himself before settling down for a nap, deciding that if he was needed then someone would come knocking. He was going to need his energy because he had a feeling that the boy in his arms was going to be a handful.</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>            Charlie woke to the sound of knocking, groaning in protest. Placing his hand over the kid’s ear where he rested on his chest, he called out, “Who is it?”</p><p>            “It’s Dax,” the woman called back, her tone amused. “Just figured I’d tell you I’m done for the day and about to head out.”</p><p>            “The fuck?” he murmured softly, looking at the sleeping form on top of him as he wondered what time it was.</p><p>            “Mikhail gave the okay for you to stay here the night. Nikolai spoke with him,” she called through the door. “When you get up, he’d like to speak with you though.”</p><p>            “Tell him I’ll be down in a bit,” Charlie called. “And sorry for ducking out like I did.”</p><p>            Laughter sounded from the other side of the door. “If I had a nickel for every time you ducked out for a piece of ass, then I’d have a nickel,” she crowed. “Don’t worry about it, Charlie.”</p><p>            He rolled his eyes in amusement as he heard her footsteps trail off as she walked away, looking down at the boy in his arms. Running his fingers along the kid’s back, he sighed, murmuring, “Well, what do I do with you?”</p><p>            “You could always do what you did earlier?” a sleepy voice murmured softly.</p><p>            A startled laugh escaped Charlie as Emery opened his eyes and smiled up at him sleepily. “Oh, I don’t think so, brat,” Charlie murmured. “I don’t think you’ll be up for it.”</p><p>            With a sleepy smile, Emery shifted so his very prominent erection was pressed tight against Charlie’s abdomen. “Oh, I think I’m up for anything,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to the underside of Charlie’s jaw.</p><p>            Charlie grinned at the young man, trailing a hand down to his ass and slipping his fingertips between his cheeks, teasing the hole. When Emery hissed lightly and pulled away from his fingers, he raised a brow in amusement. “Up for anything, brat?”</p><p>            Wrinkling his nose, Emery sighed, propping his chin up on Charlie’s chest as he pouted up at the man. “Okay, maybe not <em>anything</em>,” he admitted reluctantly. Feeling the man’s awakening flesh below him, he blushed. “But...I can take care of you...Master.”</p><p>            Charlie shuddered lightly as he hardened fully at the tone the kid said those words in, stopping him from moving lower. “Hold on, brat. We need to set some ground rules here,” he stated firmly.</p><p>            “But...I thought we did that already? You don’t share, I have to listen to you, or I’ll be punished, and I have to show respect to those who are trying to help me. If I don’t show respect, then I have to have a good explanation for my actions,” Emery murmured, looking up thoughtfully as he listed off what the man had told him earlier.</p><p>            Charlie nodded, slightly impressed that the kid had remembered considering what had been going on when he’d said all that. “Okay, but that’s not all I require, brat,” Charlie stated.</p><p>            “Oh...” Emery murmured, biting his lip before nodding suddenly and pushing himself up to sit astride the man, hands braced on Charlie’s chest as he looked down at the man seriously. He failed to realize the turmoil that the position caused in Charlie as the man struggled to contain himself. “I’m listening, Master.”</p><p>            Charlie blinked up at the young man, shaking his head. He was going to die before all was said and done, he could see it now. Placing his hands on Emery’s hips to keep the kid in place, he cursed silently as he stared up at him. Figuring he’d best figure out where he stood on things, he decided to start at the beginning.</p><p>            “How much do you know about the BDSM lifestyle?” he questioned firmly.</p><p>            Emery looked down, biting his lip as he wondered if he should try and lie to the man. He didn’t want him to think he was boring and decide he didn’t want to go through with this.</p><p>            Charlie glared up at the kid, stating, “I’ll know if you lie, Emery. If you try and lie to me, I’ll have you over my knee quicker than you can blink. I don’t care if your ass is sore.”</p><p>            Blushing brightly, Emery nodded. “Yes, Master,” he whispered, wondering how the man knew what he’d been considering. “I...know what I saw on the internet. I also went to a few...clubs to see people interact.”</p><p>            Charlie’s fingers tightened on Emery’s hips reflexively. “So, you’re completely new to this? You’ve never experimented? Even with a girl?”</p><p>            Emery wrinkled his nose, shaking his head adamantly. “No girls, Master. I don’t like girls. And no, I’ve never experimented or anything,” he replied. “As for being new, well, I’ve never <em>done</em> anything...but there are...things I would like to try. Things that I found while looking on the internet.”</p><p>            Charlie didn’t know whether to laugh or curse. The kid was a virgin in <em>every</em> aspect. Well, not so much in one area anymore. His body, however, reacted exactly as he’d expected it would.</p><p>            Emery looked down, feeling the flesh that had softened slightly underneath him harden instantly. He moaned, reaching a hand between his legs to lightly trace the tip of the other man’s erection. “Are...are you sure you don’t want me to...take care of you, Master?” he whispered huskily, looking up into Charlie’s eyes.</p><p>            Charlie shook his head, biting back a groan. “No, brat. Leave it alone,” he ordered, hands clenching.</p><p>            At the look in Charlie’s eyes, Emery pouted, nodding as he removed his hand and tried to ignore the throbbing flesh he was sitting on top of. “Yes, Master,” he murmured.</p><p>            Clearing his throat, Charlie narrowed his eyes. “So, you have absolutely no experience. What makes you think this is for you if you’ve never experienced it?”</p><p>            Biting his lip, Emery tilted his head thoughtfully. “May I ask a question, Master?”</p><p>            Curious, Charlie nodded. “You may.”</p><p>            “What made you think that this was for you?” Emery questioned seriously. “What made this lifestyle appeal to you?”</p><p>            Startled, Charlie opened his mouth only to close it again. He smirked, raising a brow. The brat had a point he supposed. “Okay. Let me put my question this way, brat. What about the lifestyle drew you to it? What about it tells you that you can’t do ‘normal’?”</p><p>            Emery blushed as he thought about everything he had looked up. “I...first became interested when we left high school. I don’t know how much you know about Nikolai, but he actively started exploring BDSM in high school. He told us about some of it, and it was enough to cause me to start looking into it when my pops kicked me out,” he stated, tracing patterns on Charlie’s chest as he thought. “I don’t know if I stumbled onto the harsher stuff first, but the moment I saw all those pictures...”</p><p>            Charlie smirked as the boy shuddered, eyes glazing over at the memories. Raising his hand, he snapped his fingers in front of the kid’s face, startling him. “Focus, brat.”</p><p>            “Sorry, Master,” Emery murmured softly. “Just...the idea of what I found...and finally getting a chance to do some of it...” Emery fell forward, burying his face in the man’s neck, moaning and nuzzling at the flesh, tongue flicking out to taste the hard flesh. He rocked his hips forward, gasping at the feel of Charlie’s flesh sliding along his.</p><p>            Charlie groaned, tilting his head up and giving the kid access to his neck. “We’re supposed to be talking, brat,” he scolded, moaning as Emery thrust against him hard.</p><p>            Pulling back slightly, Emery forced himself to stop moving as he stared down at the man, panting. “I’m...I’m sorry, Master,” he whispered, biting his lip.</p><p>            Groaning at the look in the boy’s eyes, Charlie wrapped his arm around Emery’s back, flipping them over so that he was on top of the boy. Pushing hard against the boy, Charlie leaned down to claim the parted lips below him as he growled, “We can always talk later.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Tatyana watched as Zoya slept on the sofa in the library. Everyone else had gone to bed already and rather than have Nikolai wake the girl, she had stated that she would bring the girl up to her room when she was done reading. That had been an hour ago, and she still had yet to read a page since being left alone with the girl.</p><p>            Giving up on the book in her hand finally, she placed it on the table in front of her, examining the girl’s sleeping features. She looked so innocent in sleep, a far cry from the excitable young woman she’d seen earlier that day. When she had called her father, Tatyana had honestly thought she was going to have to stop the girl from storming out to yell at the boy’s father. In the months that she’d been watching over the girl, not once had she ever seen the temper that had been displayed upon finding out what had happened to Emery.</p><p>            It put her in a very bad situation, because the girl had just become even more attractive to her with those actions. She’d never really seen someone outside of her sister and Mikhail get that angry over someone else being hurt. With her sister she’d never really had the chance to appreciate the concern as it was directed at her when she was in a bad state. In Mikhail’s case it was completely understood considering what had happened to Nikolai. She would have done the same if faced with that situation.</p><p>            It was that thought that made her pause. She would have done the same. What did that mean? She tilted her head as she watched the girl across from her sleep on unawares of the confusion that Tatyana was feeling. What would she do if something similar happened to Zoya that had happened to Nikolai? Unintentionally, a soft growl of absolute anger escaped her, making her freeze in shock. Examining the emotion she was feeling, she released a startled breath as she realized what that feeling was.</p><p>            The idea of Zoya being hurt made her want to hurt someone back. Examining the young woman, she frowned at the lack of surprise as she was flooded with protective feelings towards the girl. Letting the feelings float through her, she shook her head as she accepted them for what they were, tired of fighting back feelings that seemed foreign to her. Thinking about what her sister had been trying to tell her over the past several years, she chuckled. Was this what she had been trying to explain? This feeling that she wanted to protect someone?</p><p>            Standing, she walked quietly over to the young woman on the sofa, smiling down at her briefly before bending and picking her up gently and settling her in her arms. She shivered lightly as Zoya curled closer to her, nuzzling into her neck. She waited for the spike of fear and nausea that usually accompanied touch, surprised to find that it was not nearly as strong as she was expecting. Biting her lip, she tightened her grasp on Zoya as she rested her cheek on the girl’s head briefly. Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath, inhaling the scent of peppermint and vanilla, as well as something uniquely Zoya.</p><p>            Lifting her head, she gazed down at the girl hesitantly before tilting her head and placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. Shaking her head, she walked out of the library and headed for their rooms, never noticing the single tear that slipped down her cheek as she concentrated on not waking the precious bundle in her arms.</p><p>            Moments later, she reached the bedrooms and frowned at the closed door, looking down at Zoya as she contemplated waking the girl so that she could open the door. She blinked, startled, as a hand reached around her to open the door quietly, looking down into her sister’s smiling face. Nodding her thanks, she entered the room and walked to the bed, setting Zoya down gently. Resting her head on the pillow, she grabbed the blanket at the end of the bed and pulled it up over the girl, making sure that she was completely covered before turning back to her sister who was standing in the doorway.</p><p>            “Thank you, Karo,” she murmured softly as she walked towards the woman.</p><p>            “You’re welcome, Tanya,” Karolina whispered, smiling over at the sleeping woman. “Didn’t want to wake her?”</p><p>            Tatyana looked over her shoulder at the woman who had, somehow, stolen her heart without her realizing it. Thinking about that, she found that she didn’t really mind anymore. She somehow felt that Zoya would take care not to hurt her, that she would consider the gift of her heart a precious thing to be treasured and protected. That didn’t mean that she was about to approach her with offers of a relationship as that still scared her, but she was content in letting her heart remain in the girl’s hands.</p><p>            “Yeah,” she murmured, turning back to her sister and looking down at her fondly. She thought about everything that Karolina had done for her in the last few years, how much time she had spent in making sure that she was going to be okay. She hadn’t needed to do anything. Tatyana hadn’t even been able to thank her for her efforts. Her sister had been her rock, her reason for coming back, even if she didn’t tell her that. Had it not been for Karolina, Tatyana would have given up a long time ago.</p><p>            Karolina looked up at Tatyana in concern, not understanding the look on her face. Reaching out, she placed a hesitant hand on her sister’s arm, expecting it to be shrugged off as it usually was. “Tanya? Are you okay?”</p><p>            Taking a deep breath, Tatyana nodded, a hesitant smile on her lips. “Yeah...I think I am,” she whispered, gathering her wits about her. Before she could change her mind, she reached out and pulled her baby sister into her arms, wrapping her in a tight hug and burying her face in her gorgeous hair. “I know I never said it before but thank you Karolina. Thank you for being there for me.”</p><p>            Karolina wrapped shaky arms around her sister for the first time in years, tears filling her eyes as she rested her cheek on her sister’s chest. When she wasn’t pushed away, her arms tightened and she whispered back, “Of course I’d be there for you. You’re my sister. I love you.” When Tatyana didn’t tense up at the words she’d uttered, Karolina bit her lip to stop a sob from escaping.</p><p>            Tatyana smiled lifting her head and looking back at the girl that lay sleeping, unaware of the emotional chaos going on in her room. Turning back to her sister, she looked down into her eyes, shaking her head fondly. Wiping away the tears, she smiled. “Don’t cry, Karolina. Yelena will get mad at me for ruining your pretty face,” she chided, making her sister laugh.</p><p>            Karolina shook her head adamantly. “She can get mad all she wants,” she declared, smiling up at her sister.</p><p>            Chuckling, Tatyana pulled her sister to her again for another tight hug before pushing her gently towards her room. “Go to bed, Karo,” she ordered. As her sister started towards her own room, Tatyana smiled, looking at the sleeping girl again. For the first time in her life, she felt like she might actually be telling her sister the truth by saying that she was okay. Giving her sister another look, she whispered softly, “I...I love you too, Karolina.”</p><p>            Turning back to the room, she closed and locked the door, never realizing that her sister had heard the words she’d whispered into the darkened hall, stopping her suddenly in her tracks as she spun to look at the closed bedroom door. Karolina dropped to her knees quietly, her hand going to her mouth to stop any sound from escaping as the tears fell from her eyes in happiness. She’d waited so long to hear her sister say those words that she’d started to wonder if she ever would.</p><p>            She looked up as soft arms wrapped around her shoulders, meeting the warm gaze of her wife as she knelt next to her. “She...”</p><p>            Yelena nodded with a small smile. “I heard, my love,” she whispered, helping the girl to her feet and pulling her into a warm embrace as the woman broke down. Hushing her, she guided Karolina towards their bedroom, tossing a glance over her shoulder with a smile and vowing to protect the fragile heart that was just beginning to heal. She was a force to be reckoned with on a normal day. Messing with her family would guarantee that someone would die, especially if they caused any sort of setback for the woman they both cared greatly for.</p><p>            Throwing one last glance down the hall, Yelena sighed, feeling like things were finally starting to fall into place as she directed her crying wife into the room, closing the door behind them and hopefully on the past as well.</p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>            Dax nodded at the woman that approached her, a small smile of welcome on her lips. She had borrowed the living room to do some planning for the work that needed to be done and had expected to be alone until Charlie joined her. Standing, she held out her hand to shake. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Tatyana,” she murmured softly as the other woman took her hand in greeting.</p><p>            Tatyana nodded in response, an uncertain look on her face as she kept her back to the entry way of the living room. Letting the woman’s hand go, she bit her lip uncertainly, deciding that maybe the woman had been right in saying that an uninvolved party would have a different outlook on things. “I...wanted to say thank you, Dax,” she stated softly, getting an intrigued look from Dax.</p><p>            “Thank me? For what?” she asked, head tilted in question.</p><p>            Tatyana shifted uncomfortably, her head coming up when she heard movement behind her. Seeing Zoya, she stated, “I’ll be just a moment, if you could sit on the sofa.” At the girl’s confused look, she motioned to the sofa on the other side of the room.</p><p>            As Zoya frowned and walked towards the sofa, sitting down, Tatyana turned back to the woman in front of her, seeing the interested look on her face.</p><p>            “Is she the reason you were beating yourself up when we met?” Dax murmured, a concerned frown on her face.</p><p>            Tatyana nodded slightly, sighing. “Yes...” she confirmed, running her hand through her hair. “I...she deserves someone better than me and my problems. But...”</p><p>            Dax smiled gently, seeing the way that the girl was looking at the pair of them. “But you want her anyway?” she guessed, chuckling softly at the resigned nod. “I take it she’s the ‘something new’ you found in the rubble of your life?”</p><p>            Tatyana blinked, looking the woman directly in the face. She honestly wasn’t surprised that she had managed to figure that out so quickly. It made her wonder how obvious she was about her feelings for the girl.</p><p>            As if sensing her thoughts, Dax smiled and shook her head. “You’re not obvious, I promise. I just happen to be very good at picking up on things,” she murmured.</p><p>            Tatyana sighed and nodded. “Yes...she’s the ‘something new’ that I found,” she stated, avoiding looking back at the girl. “She...she deserves something better than what I can offer her.”</p><p>            “I won’t pretend to know what you went through, Tatyana,” Dax started, her voice soft. “But I can tell you this. Everyone in this world deserves what makes them happy, so long as that happiness is consensual and legal. From where I stand, I see no problem with you and her being together. I’ve seen a lot of stuff growing up because of my family, and I see nothing wrong with you liking that girl.”</p><p>            Tatyana frowned and shook her head. “I don’t want to hurt her because I can’t give her what she wants,” she protested. “I’m not a good person, Dax.”</p><p>            Dax chuckled, asking, “Who really is these days? I’m well aware of who you work for, and what he is. It’s not a stretch to imagine what you do for this family. However, just because your job requires you to do things that a person normally wouldn’t do, does not mean that you deserve less happiness than a person that’s never harmed a fly.”</p><p>            Tatyana stared at the woman, unable to really offer a response to that. Her thoughts drifted to the people who lived on the estate, and everything that they had done in their life. Her sister was married to a woman who knew more ways to kill a man than any one person should have to know in their lifetime. Her good friends were hired killers that just so happened to decide to work for one man. Yuri and Demetri, while seeming to be the so called ‘innocent’ ones of this family, were just as dangerous as everyone else here. Mikhail himself was the most dangerous of them all in terms of power. Yet...they were all happy. Did she begrudge them their happiness? Did she feel that they didn’t deserve it because of who they were as individuals? No. So what did that mean for her?</p><p>            Dax glanced at the girl out of the corner of her eye, smiling gently. She knew what whatever Tatyana was sorting through in her mind was big, and she really needed a push to help get over whatever hurdles she was facing. Seeing the irritated looks being directed at the two of them, she knew that the girl that Tatyana was agonizing over would definitely be the best person to help her. She just needed a little push.</p><p>            Refocusing her attention on the woman in front of her, she softened her smile and reached out, placing her hand on Tatyana’s arm in plain sight. “I do know, however, that no matter what happens, you would <em>never</em> hurt that girl. She means way too much to you for you to allow that to happen,” she murmured softly as Tatyana glanced at her hand briefly before meeting her eyes.    </p><p>            “But what if I do?” Tatyana questioned softly, not bothering to brush the woman’s hand off.</p><p>            “Life is filled with ‘what if’ moments, Tatyana. It’s facing them head on that makes us stronger. Sometimes you get hurt, yes. But sometimes you find something that makes every hurt you’ve ever experienced worth it,” Dax murmured, as she saw the girl scowl towards them before standing. “An example. What if the very angry looking young woman currently stalking towards you was actually very jealous that you have yet to push my hand off your arm?”</p><p>            Tatyana stared at Dax in confusion before feeling a light touch on her arm and realized what Dax was talking about as she turned to see the pout that adorned Zoya’s lips.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Zoya blushed as she stared at Tatyana who was currently speaking to the woman responsible for upgrading their security. She hadn’t been able to meet Tatyana’s eyes for over a week now without blushing or stuttering like a fool. Not since the night that Tatyana had carried her up to her room. She’d always been a light sleeper, something she’d picked up from her father and his paranoia. So, the moment that Tatyana had lifted her from the sofa, she’d woken from her sleep.</p><p>            Of course, she’d pretended to still be asleep. The feel of Tatyana’s arms holding her carefully had been too much of a draw to resist, as had her scent when she’d moved her face to rest in the crook of her neck. She’d nearly given herself away when Tatyana had placed a gentle kiss on her head, and it was only through sheer luck that she managed to remain still and calm.</p><p>            She’d stayed awake only for a few moments before being lured back into the realm of dreams, the feel of the woman’s arms around her providing a feeling of safety and comfort. She didn’t even remember arriving at her room, but she’d woken to a knock on the connecting door the next morning as Tatyana had walked through. The woman’s actions toward her hadn’t changed, despite her actions from the night before. So, in the interest of not causing any problems for the woman, she’d not changed her actions either.</p><p>            Her eyes narrowed as Dax placed her hand on Tatyana’s arm, smiling at her and shaking her head. She bit the inside of her cheek when all Tatyana did was glance at the hand before returning her gaze to the woman’s face. She’d expected her to shift out of reach of the woman, like she’d seen her do with numerous people before. Scowling at the spike of jealousy she felt, she stood abruptly and stalked over to the women.</p><p>            A small pout on her lips, she touched Tatyana’s arm to get her attention. “Tatyana?” she murmured softly.</p><p>            Looking at the girl next to her, Tatyana frowned in worry. “Did you need something, Zoya?”</p><p>            Dax hid a smile, knowing exactly what was going on. She’d seen the girl watching the two of them and hadn’t been able to help herself. It was quite obvious that Tatyana had feelings for the girl, but for some reason, wasn’t able to properly deal with them. Pushing the girl to approach instead was the perfect solution to help Tatyana get used to her.</p><p>            “I’m...not feeling well,” Zoya said softly, blushing at the lie. “I was wondering if I could go back to my room?”</p><p>            Immediately, Tatyana put the back of her hand against Zoya’s forehead. “You do feel a little warm,” she murmured, moving the girl towards the living room door and the stairway. “Let’s get you back upstairs and then I’ll get Anna to make you something to eat.”</p><p>            Zoya let Tatyana lead her towards the stairs, throwing a glare over her shoulder at Dax when Tatyana wasn’t looking. The glare held a very blatant message.</p><p>            ‘Stay away from her.’</p><p>            Dax grinned, tipping her head in acknowledgment of the message. She grinned wider when she saw Charlie come through, Emery trailing after him with an eager look on his face. Examining her friend, she chuckled at the exasperated expression, walking towards him.</p><p>            “Hey Charlie,” she greeted, smiling innocently.</p><p>            “Don’t you start, Dax,” Charlie warned, growling.</p><p>            “Why, what do you mean?” Dax questioned with false surprise before grinning. “How’s your new boy? Aren’t you going to introduce him?”</p><p>            Glaring at the woman, Charlie grit his teeth and nodded once, sighing. “Might as well,” he muttered before turning to look over his shoulder. “Come here, brat.”</p><p>            Emery walked forward, a smile on his face as he stared at the man. “Yes, Master?”</p><p>            Grunting, Charlie motioned to Dax, stating, “This is Zhou Da-xia. She’s my boss. Dax, this is Emery.”</p><p>            Dax chuckled at how Emery referred to Charlie, holding out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Emery. Call me Dax.”</p><p>            Shaking the woman’s hand eagerly, Emery grinned. “It’s nice to meet a friend of my Master’s.”</p><p>            “Emery,” Charlie murmured, running his hand down his face. “Just...call me Charlie.”</p><p>            Dax smirked as Emery looked up at Charlie, pouting. Oh, her friend was definitely going to end up keeping this one. No doubt about it.</p><p>            “But...Nikolai calls Mikhail ‘Master’. Why can’t I call you that?” Emery whispered sadly, biting his lip.</p><p>            A sigh escaping his lips, Charlie looked down at the desolate face of the kid at his side. Throwing at look at Dax as she snickered, he shook his head. “I...prefer my submissives using something else,” he admitted begrudgingly, holding up a hand to forestall the spew of questions he sensed coming. “We’ll discuss it later. I would prefer not to have this conversation in front of my boss, no matter how friendly we are.”</p><p>            Emery glanced at Dax, seeing her sending looks at both of them with an eager grin on her face. Blushing lightly, he nodded, agreeing with Charlie. This was definitely a conversation that was best had in privacy. “Alright, Sir.”</p><p>            Giving the boy an unimpressed look, Charlie nodded, questioning, “I suppose that’s the best I can hope for? Do you even care what my name is?”</p><p>            Emery went wide eyed, hands grabbing the man’s arm as he nodded abruptly. “Of course I care what your name is Charlie! I want to know everything about you, so that I can make sure I can take care of you,” he stated firmly, his sincerity ringing loud in his tone.</p><p>            Startled, Charlie stared down at the boy as Dax let a bark of laughter escape. His eyes softening, Charlie cleared his throat, nodding. “I’ll accept ‘Sir’ for now then.”</p><p>            The resulting smile from Emery provoked another bark of laughter from Dax. Grinning at her friend, she shook her head. “Good luck, Charlie,” she commented, grinning wider at the dirty look he tossed her.</p><p>            “Don’t think I didn’t notice you looking either,” Charlie warned, referring to the day he’d met Emery. He’d seen the look she’d tossed Nikolai’s other friend that day.</p><p>            Dax shrugged, unfazed. “Nothing wrong with looking,” she commented before clearing her throat and gesturing towards Emery. “Did Mikhail say how long he was going to need your services?”</p><p>            Charlie walked over to the sofa, dropping into it with a shake of his head. “No. The paperwork has been filed to have Emery’s name changed and his status at youngest son of the Petrov family established. I suspect that I’ll be needed for a while, even once the upgrades are completed,” he stated, not even blinking when the boy in question sat in his lap. He readjusted the kid so that he was sitting sideways, pushing Emery’s face into his neck and wrapping an arm around his waist unconsciously.</p><p>            Smiling at the man’s actions, Dax sat in the chair across from him, pulling a file towards her and flipping it open. “The motion sensors should be here in the next few days. I still don’t understand how we miscalculated the amount that we had ordered. I was sure my parents said they had sent four dozen, but the order form only showed a dozen,” she murmured, pointing at the error on the order form.</p><p>            Spotting the logo on the order form, Emery leaned forward in interest. “Elite Strike?” he questioned in disbelief. “You work for Elite Strike?”</p><p>            Looking up, Dax smirked, shaking her head. “I don’t work for them. I own the company,” she stated proudly.</p><p>            Emery blinked in shock, looking from Charlie to Dax. “I...what?” he squeaked, trying to stop himself from regressing to typical fan boy behaviour.</p><p>            Charlie looked at the kid in his lap, amused. “Dax is the owner of Elite Strike, brat. I’m her personal assistant,” he explained, chuckling at the squeak that statement produced.</p><p>            Emery blinked at the woman sitting across from them, almost quivering in excitement. He’d read up on the company and had a great amount of respect for the person who had created it. To find out that the woman sitting across from him was that woman made him very happy indeed.</p><p>            Charlie looked down at the boy with a raised brow, lips twitching in amusement. “Brat,” he murmured, chuckling as Emery beamed up at him. “Calm down. Now’s not the time.”</p><p>            Wide eyed, Emery nodded, gaze darting back to Dax to take in her amused expression as he forced himself to settle back against the man whose lap he was sitting in. He hadn’t realized he’d shifted his position to be leaning forward so much. “Sorry, Sir,” he whispered, blushing.</p><p>            Charlie nodded, patting the boy’s thigh in reassurance. “It’s fine, brat. But we have to go over some work things, and if you want to stay here, you have to be quiet.”</p><p>            Emery nodded, burying his face in Charlie’s neck. “Not a word, Sir,” he promised, cuddling closer to the man as the arm around his waist tightened in approval.</p><p>            Dax shook her head with a chuckle, looking back at the folder that was open on the table between them. “Now, I figure we can install the motion sensors first,” she commented, looking up at Charlie, smirk firmly in place. She was glad for her friend. He needed someone like the boy in his life. Hopefully everything worked out great between them.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Tatyana led the girl to her room, smirk on her face as she stopped in front of the door to Zoya’s room to open it and check the room. Dropping the smirk, she turned to the girl and frowned, motioning her to the bed. “Lay down and I’ll call down to Anna and order some soup,” she stated firmly, watching as the girl listened hesitantly.</p><p>            Zoya looked up at the woman as she passed her, feeling guilty for the lie. Tatyana actually seemed concerned about her, which was strange. She’d never seen the woman express herself in anything less than a professional manner towards her. Immediately her thoughts jumped to the kiss on the head earlier, blushing as her guilt intensified. Seeing the woman pull out her cell, she climbed into the bed and pulled Yana into her lap, biting her lip.</p><p>            “Tatyana?” she whispered, looking down.</p><p>            “What is it Zoya?” Tatyana questioned, looking at the woman.</p><p>            Sighing, Zoya looked up at the woman uncomfortably. “I’m...I’m not actually sick, Tatyana...”</p><p>            Tatyana put her phone in her pocket, nodding. “I see...” she murmured, meeting Zoya’s eyes.</p><p>            “I’m really sorry for lying,” Zoya said, looking down again, fiddling with Yana’s collar.</p><p>            “Why did you?” Tatyana questioned, curious. She still hadn’t been able to figure that out. What would have possessed the girl to lie about wanting to go back to her room? She could have just asked.</p><p>            Zoya ducked her head further, mumbling her answer softly. She really didn’t want to admit that she was jealous of how Tatyana and Dax had been so close. It was embarrassing enough that she had lied to the woman.</p><p>            “What was that, Zoya?” Tatyana questioned, crossing her arms across her chest, the movement causing Zoya to peek up through the fall of her hair.</p><p>            “Do I have to tell you?” Zoya whined, putting Yana on the bed and pulling her knees to her chest, burying her face against them.</p><p>            “I would appreciate the truth from you, Zoya,” Tatyana stated softly. “However, I cannot make you speak to me if you do not wish to. Afterall, I’m only your guard.”</p><p>            Zoya shook her head, eyes wide. “You’re not!” she exclaimed, sounding hurt.</p><p>            “Excuse me?” Tatyana inquired, surprised at the tone.</p><p>            “You’re not just a guard,” Zoya declared, shifting on her bed to face the woman. Maybe this was part of the problem. If Tatyana thought that about herself then maybe that was the reason that she hadn’t approached her yet.</p><p>            “Then what am I, if not a guard? I was assigned to protect you at all costs,” Tatyana stated, confused.</p><p>            Zoya took a deep breath and slid off the bed, approaching Tatyana hesitantly. “You’re not just a guard to me, Tatyana,” she murmured as she stopped in front of the woman, her hand raising to gently touch Tatyana’s cheek.</p><p>            Startled, Tatyana froze as she stared down at the girl, fighting back the fear that sparked to life in her. She had nothing to fear from the girl in front of her. Zoya would never do anything to hurt her. “I...don’t understand,” Tatyana stated, stepping back and letting the girl’s hand drop to her side. “Explain why you suddenly felt the need to return to your room.”</p><p>            Biting her lip, Zoya looked up into Tatyana’s eyes, noticing immediately how guarded they seemed. She had caused that by her actions. She sighed, nodding and taking a step back from the woman. The last thing that she had wanted to do was cause Tatyana to regret anything to do with her. “I...was jealous,” she admitted, wincing.</p><p>            Tatyana twitched in shock, wondering what in the world was going on. Was this what Dax had been talking about before they’d been interrupted? Why had Zoya been jealous? “Jealous...” she muttered tonelessly.</p><p>            Zoya nodded, frowning as a blush covered her cheeks. “Jealous,” she confirmed.</p><p>            “Of what exactly?” Tatyana questioned, frowning in confusion.</p><p>            Moaning in embarrassment, Zoya turned her back to the woman. “Dax...” she whispered, barely loud enough to be heard.</p><p>            “Dax?” Tatyana repeated, startled. “Why would you be jealous of Dax?”</p><p>            Zoya frowned, shaking her head. “It’s stupid...”</p><p>            “Zoya...” Tatyana said. “Explain yourself.”</p><p>            “I...she was touching you...and you didn’t seem to mind,” Zoya replied immediately, wincing at how bad that sounded. “If I touch you, you freeze or flinch. She touches you and no reaction whatsoever.”</p><p>            Tatyana’s eyes grew wide as she realized exactly what was going on and how little explanation she actually had for the girl. It wasn’t like she could tell the girl that the reason she didn’t flinch away from Dax was because she didn’t care about the woman. That would immediately give the girl information that she didn’t quite want her to have.</p><p>            “She was...she looked like she was flirting with you,” Zoya whispered, head bowed. “Do...do you like her?”</p><p>            Tatyana stared at the girl’s back, hating that she sounded hurt at the thought that she might like Dax. Her hands clenched into fists, hating the reaction she had to being forced to confront her feelings like this. It was hard enough dealing with them alone. She wasn’t ready to explain them to Zoya yet. She didn’t know if she ever would be.</p><p>            “I...I can’t do this right now, Zoya,” Tatyana whispered, her head bowed as she tried not to run.</p><p>            “You do...” Zoya murmured sadly, laughing softly. “I can see why. She’s...she’s very beautiful.”</p><p>            Tatyana shook her head, clenching her teeth angrily at her inability to explain. “I don’t...” she whispered angrily, trying to stay calm.</p><p>            “It’s okay, Tatyana,” Zoya forced herself to say, her voice wobbling a little. “I’m sorry if I had the wrong...”</p><p>            “I don’t like Dax, Zoya!” Tatyana yelled, panting as she shook. She bit her lips, watching the girl spin around. She saw the startled look on her face as she glared at her.</p><p>            “But...” Zoya whispered, shocked at the anger that was on Tatyana’s face. She’d never seen her that angry.</p><p>            “Drop it, Zoya,” Tatyana growled, the warning in her voice clear. “I won’t ask again. I do <em>not</em> like Dax.”</p><p>            Paling, Zoya nodded hesitantly. Taking in the anger and danger that pulsated off the woman, she understood why she was valued so highly to the Romanov family. “Okay...Tatyana. I’m sorry,” she whispered, eyes wide as she took a step back and sat on the edge of the bed.</p><p>            Tatyana took a deep breath, closing her eyes and forcing herself to calm down. Zoya didn’t deserve the anger that was being directed at her. She had no idea what she’d had to go through in her life, and there was no reason for her to be yelled at because she couldn’t control her reactions. “I think it would be best if you stayed in your room. I would like to go and train for a little bit,” she stated tonelessly, turning and walking towards the bedroom door.</p><p>            “Can...can I come and watch again?” Zoya questioned hesitantly.</p><p>            Tatyana froze for a moment, closing her eyes and telling herself not to blow up again. “I don’t think that would be wise decision...Miss Petrova,” she stated, continuing towards the door. “Lock the door behind me. I’ll be back in a couple of hours. Do not leave your room.”</p><p>            Zoya bit her lip as her eyes filled with tears as the door slammed behind Tatyana, leaving her alone in her room. She should have just left it alone instead of reacting like she had. As the tears fell down her cheeks, she walked towards the door and locked it, as she had been instructed to do, before running to her bed and throwing herself on it, startling Yana. Burying her head in her pillow, she sobbed brokenly.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Tatyana stalked down to the training room, ignoring the triplets as she passed them, her hands clenched into fists. The only thought running through her head was that she needed to punch something. Why couldn’t she be fucking normal for once in her life? Why was she still letting that...that <em>thing</em> control her like he was? Yelena had killed him ages ago, but he still refused to let her move on.</p><p>            Slamming open the door to the training room, she growled at the two new guys that were talking on the far side of the room who looked up when she entered. Glaring at them, she grit her teeth. “Out,” she snarled, pointing at the door she had just come through.</p><p>            The look on her face convinced them not to argue. They were familiar with who she was and her training, and they didn’t want to piss her off any more than she already was. Nodding, they immediately headed for the exit, ducking out and dodging around the triplets as they entered the room silently so as not to alert Tatyana to their presence.</p><p>            Yakov frowned, nodding to his brothers as they scattered around the room, taking up position where they would not be seen as they observed the woman in front of them. They had never seen her this angry before, and they each wondered what had happened to cause it.</p><p>            Panting, Tatyana ripped her jacket off, revealing the plain tee shirt she was wearing underneath. Kicking off her boots, she ripped open the zipper of the pants she was wearing and kicked them off, leaving her standing in just her underwear and tee. Stalking over to a heavy punching bag, she screamed, lashing out at it. The resounding thud made all three brothers wince in sympathy as they watched her attack the bag violently.</p><p>            Why the hell couldn’t she just accept what had happened to her? Why did she continue to let herself be held back by the shit that she had gone through almost ten years ago? She spun, kicking at the bag and growling, not registering the pain that spiked through her foot. So, she loved someone. What difference did that make? People fell in love all the time and never had to go through the problems she had. Hell, even Nikolai had gone through something similar and he was fine. He was happy and well-adjusted to life.</p><p>            A voice in the back of her head whispered that the reason Nikolai was well adjusted and happy was due to Mikhail and his love for the boy, almost seeming to taunt her. Screaming again, she jumped and spun, kicking at the bag, making it teeter dangerously before settling back to normal. She was trying, god damnit. She was doing her best to accept her feelings for Zoya.</p><p>            ‘Then why did you just leave her like that,’ the voice whispered tauntingly.</p><p>            Startled, she froze as she panted, wide eyed.</p><p>            ‘She’s probably in her room, crying her heart out now. Because of you...’</p><p>            Shaking her head, she dropped to her knees. That wasn’t right. Zoya didn’t love her, she wouldn’t be crying over her.</p><p>            ‘Are you really sure about that? She was jealous that you might like someone else,’ the voice pointed out helpfully.</p><p>            She shook her head again, telling herself that was just because Zoya had gotten used to the attention over the last few months and didn’t like being ignored.</p><p>            ‘Really? That’s the excuse you’re going with?’</p><p>            It really wasn’t an excuse though. Not completely. Just because she was having trouble dealing with her own feelings for the girl didn’t mean the girl liked her. There was no evidence of that.</p><p>            ‘No evidence? She can’t look at you without blushing. That cat you bought her is the most spoiled cat in existence, not to mention she named it after you.’</p><p>            She shook her head, paling as she thought over her interactions with Zoya, examining every detail with a critical eye as if she weren’t involved. She raised a shaky hand to her head as she realized all the little signs were there. The times that Zoya had made sure that she ate when she did, instead of just standing guard. The time when she had offered to listen with a soft smile that said she truly wanted to understand what was going through her head. The way Zoya would avoid looking at her and blush occasionally. The signs were all there that said the girl cared for her as more than just a guard, as she’d insisted.</p><p>            ‘You called her Miss Petrova...’ the voice pointed out sadly.</p><p>            Gritting her teeth, she punched the ground angrily. Recalling the words she’d left the girl with, she realized exactly how cold she had sounded. Even when she’d first started watching the girl, she hadn’t sounded that cold, that indifferent. Her mind brought forth an image of the girl’s face before she turned away and she bent forward, her eyes widening as she was able to identify the emotions that had been present. Pain, loss...heartache.</p><p>            Stumbling to her feet, she pulled her pants on in a hurry and raced out of the room, heading for the stairs, bounding up them and down the hall. Stopping in front of Zoya’s door, she pounded on it frantically. “Zoya! Open the door!” she shouted.</p><p>            When there was no response, she tried the door, breath catching in her throat as it swung open easily. She had told the girl to lock it behind her. Why hadn’t she listened? Pushing it open fully, she stalked into the room and looked around, panicking when she didn’t see her.</p><p>            Shaking, she raced to the bathroom, only to find it empty. “No...” she whispered, almost tearing the room apart in an attempt to find the girl only to come up empty handed. Looking at the door connecting to her room, she ripped it open only to find her room empty too with the exception of Yana. Walking to the cat, she reached out a hesitant hand to grasp the note that had been tied to her collar. Opening it, she sobbed at the two words written there.</p><p>
  <em>I’m sorry.</em>
</p><p>            Turning, she ran down the stairs, slamming into Sava at the bottom of the stairs. As his arms went around her, she stared up at him, frantic.</p><p>            “Tatyana, you need to calm down. What’s wrong? What happened?” Sava questioned urgently, tightening his hold on her arms.</p><p>            “Zoya...” she whispered, pale. “Zoya’s missing.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>            Zoya sighed, looking around at the forested area she was walking in. She’d lasted in the room for all of five minutes before she’d felt the need to escape. She’d considered packing a bag to take with her, equal part angry and sad but had been unable to go through with something that seemed so permanent. Besides, she didn’t even know the city so it wasn’t like she could go anywhere. Instead, she had penned a short note and attached it to Yana’s collar before returning the kitten to Tatyana’s room. Obviously, she had misunderstood the gift and the intentions behind it.</p><p>            It had been easy to sneak out of the house once she’d left her room. With all the work being done to upgrade the security, no one paid her any attention, which was funny because it was her they were doing all the upgrades for. Once she got outside, it had only taken moments before she’d disappeared beyond the forest line that existed on the estate, taking solace in a familiar setting. Even when she’d been in Russia, her go to place when she’d been upset had been the forest on their estate.</p><p>            Sighing, she crouched next to a small stream, dipping her fingers into the water as she thought about the reason she’d left to begin with. Her thoughts turned to Tatyana and the way the woman had acted towards her. Now that she’d calmed down some, she was able to look at the woman’s response with a more critical eye. Realistically, she knew Tatyana felt something for her.</p><p>            That had already been proven by the actions she’d witnessed unintentionally. When she’d spoken about Tatyana liking Dax, she’d been blinded by jealousy and the insecurity that maybe she had imagined things to exist where they didn’t. Sitting on the ground, she sighed as she realized she’d probably caused more harm than good with her own actions. She should have just listened when Tatyana had told her to stop.</p><p>            Listening, however, had never been her strong suit. She’d always been ruled by her emotions and her parents had done nothing to curb it. It was only since arriving in the US that she was starting to realize that she had been spoiled in Russia. She frowned, thinking about how Tatyana had looked when she’d pushed her. The woman had looked to be in pain, both physically and emotionally.</p><p>            Sighing, she lay back on the ground, looking up at the sky through the branches of the evergreen and birch. Compared to her life in Russia, her life here was so much more complicated. Before someone had started targeting her, she hadn’t had a care in the world. But...she had been very lonely. Since coming to the US she’d gained friends, a brother, and she’d fallen in love. Smiling softly, she thought of the innocent kiss Tatyana had bestowed upon her when the woman had thought her to be sleeping. Yes, her life had gotten more complicated, but she wouldn’t change a thing about it.</p><p>            Pushing herself to her feet, she squared her shoulders in determination. If she had to wait years for Tatyana, then she was prepared for that. After all, love was worth waiting for. Turning on her heel, she strode back the way she’d come, a new resolve filling her with purpose. All she had to do now was face the storm that was surely waiting for her. By now, someone was sure to have discovered her missing. But she would face it and move on. Maybe some good would actually come from it.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            “What do you mean, ‘she’s gone’?” Mikhail asked, glaring at Tatyana. “You were supposed to be watching her.”</p><p>            Tatyana ran her fingers through her hair, shaking her head at Karolina as her sister looked ready to lay into Mikhail. This was her own fault. If Zoya somehow got hurt because of her, she deserved everything that was coming her way. She should have known better. The girl was emotional on a good day. It wouldn’t take much to cause her to run off somewhere.</p><p>            “I...I have no explanation, Mikhail,” she whispered, looking at the floor. “I’m sorry.”</p><p>            Growling, Mikhail closed his eyes and counted silently. A gentle hand on his arm made him look down into the worried face of Nikolai. He shook his head, warning the boy not to interfere. This was more than just a simple mistake. This could cost all of them a lot if Zoya got hurt or Vaslav found out she was missing.</p><p>            “Are you fit to perform your duties for this family, Tatyana?” Mikhail demanded, staring at the woman directly.</p><p>            “Mikhail,” Demetri murmured softly, sighing as he was ignored. He looked at the triplets and Yuri, shaking his head. This was getting out of hand quicker than it should be.</p><p>            Tatyana blinked, not expecting that. Not once had her ability to do her job been called into question, although she supposed that she should have expected as much. Even she had started to think that she shouldn’t be trusted as much as she was.</p><p>            “I apologize for interfering, Mikhail, but that is out of line,” Karolina snapped, stepping forward.</p><p>            “Excuse me?” Mikhail demanded, looking at the smaller woman in disbelief.</p><p>            “You are out of line, Mikhail. Not once has Tatyana been unable to perform for this family, and calling that into question now is not necessary,” Karolina stated, shrugging off the hand on her shoulder and glaring at Yelena. “No, Yelena. I will not be quiet about this.”</p><p>            Mikhail shook his head, biting back his immediate reaction. Karolina never spoke out of turn, so for her to do so now meant something big. “It is obvious to me that Tatyana is having difficulties. I have not pried into what those are, wanting to be respectful of her privacy. However, when those personal matters start to interfere with her ability to do the job assigned to her, then I must step in and decide whether or not she is fit to continue in a professional capacity,” Mikhail stated firmly, crossing his arms as Nikolai stood at his side.</p><p>            “Karolina be quiet,” Tatyana ordered softly. “He’s right. I was put in charge of protecting her, and now she’s missing. I am directly responsible for the situation that this puts us all in. Her father will have to be notified, and the consequences will fall directly to me.”</p><p>            “Oh please, Papa won’t do anything unless I demand he does.”</p><p>            Immediately, all eyes were on the doorway to the library as they watched Zoya walk through, unharmed. Wide eyed, Tatyana released a shaky breath, whispering, “Where were you?”</p><p>            Zoya sighed, smiling ruefully. “Throwing a tantrum, I suppose,” she replied casually, walking up to the woman. “I apologize for not letting you know where I was, Tatyana.”</p><p>            Tatyana clenched her hands tightly, forcing herself not to pull the girl into her arms. Not in front of all these people. As it was, her gaze roamed over the girl, inspecting her for any harm. Seeing the leaves in her hair, she frowned. “Where did you go, Zoya?” she demanded softly.</p><p>            Zoya beamed at the woman as she heard her name pass her lips yet again. “The forest. It’s...something I do when I’m too emotional over something. It calms me,” she replied sheepishly before turning to Mikhail. “Tatyana did nothing wrong, Mikhail. She ordered me to stay in my room, and it was my choice to ignore her. I would have done the same, no matter who was assigned to watch me.”</p><p>            Mikhail strode forward and glared down at the girl. “I don’t think you realize exactly what position you put this family in, Miss Petrova. If anything happens to you whilst in my care, your father will not be lenient. I will not have anything happen to the family that I swore I would protect,” he snapped.</p><p>            “I apologize for the worry and stress that my actions have caused,” Zoya replied. “However, you have to understand that up until I came to this country, I had complete freedom to do whatever it was I wished. I understand that you were asked to protect me, but that does not give you the right to limit any freedom that I might want.”</p><p>            Mikhail grit his teeth as he glared at the girl, shaking his head. “You are required to follow the protective rules that I have put in place to ensure that nothing happens to you.”</p><p>            “And I will,” Zoya acknowledged. “But I am not a perfect individual, neither of us are. I will make mistakes sometimes, and unfortunately, this happened to be one of those. However, I did not leave the property and in fact did not even stray too far from the house. I only went about twenty yards beyond the edge of the forested part of the estate, as far as the stream. I was perfectly safe, especially with the additional security that Dax has loaned the estate while the security upgrades are being completed.”</p><p>            Nikolai walked forward, placing his hand on Mikhail’s arm again, looking up at his Master in worry. “Master, nothing bad happened,” he whispered softly. “She didn’t leave the estate grounds, and we both know that no one can get inside. I’m sure that she won’t leave again without taking someone with her from now on.”</p><p>            “That is correct, Nikolai,” Zoya nodded, smiling at the boy. “If I feel the need to leave the house again, I will ensure that Tatyana is with me at all times.”</p><p>            Mikhail stared down at the boy, knowing that he was right. Sighing, he wrapped an arm around the boy and pulled him tight to his side. Examining Tatyana and Zoya, he frowned. “Whatever is distracting you, Tatyana, figure it out. Quickly. Zoya, this does not happen again.”</p><p>            “Of course, Mikhail,” Zoya responded immediately, looking up at Tatyana as she nodded silently in agreement.</p><p>            “Dismissed,” he snapped, walking out of the room with Nikolai.</p><p>            “Why am I always on the verge of a heart attack with this group?” Demetri muttered as he and Yuri walked out of the room.</p><p>            Sava looked at Tatyana in concern as his brothers pulled him from the room, catching her eye and smiling reassuringly.</p><p>            Walking up to Tatyana, Karolina looked at her in concern. “Are you going to be okay, Tanya?”</p><p>            Tatyana closed her eyes, nodding hesitantly. “Yes, Karo,” she whispered. “I will be fine. I promise. I just...need to speak with Zoya.”</p><p>            Understanding dawning, Karolina gently touched her sister’s arm, worry creasing her forehead. “Did you want me to help?” she murmured, glancing at the girl in question. She hated that her sister was having so much trouble.</p><p>            “I...no,” Tatyana stated, squaring her shoulders and looking down at her sister. “This is something that I need to do alone.”</p><p>            Karolina nodded, looking up at Yelena as her wife walked forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. “If you’re sure, Tanya,” Yelena murmured. “Call us if you need anything, okay? It doesn’t matter what time or for what reason.”</p><p>            Tatyana released a shaky breath, nodding with a small smile. “Thank you. Both of you.”</p><p>            “You’re family to us,” Yelena replied simply, directing Karolina out of the room.</p><p>            “Tatyana?” Zoya whispered, extremely concerned. “What...what do we need to talk about?”</p><p>            Tatyana raised a hand as if to caress Zoya’s cheek, only to clench her hand into a fist and pull back at the last minute. “You need a shower,” she murmured, looking the girl over. “Your clothing is all dirty.”</p><p>            “But...” Zoya started, only to stop as Tatyana shook her head. Why did the woman before her look like she was in pain?</p><p>            “No, Zoya,” Tatyana pleaded. “I...I need time to think about...about how to word this.”</p><p>            Hesitantly, Zoya nodded. “Okay. A shower it is. Would you accompany to my room?”</p><p>            Tatyana nodded, turning and leading the way out of the library. As they passed Demetri and Yuri, they couldn’t help but notice that Tatyana looked as if she was walking to her death, concerned. They didn’t know a whole lot about the woman beyond what they’d come to know since her and her sister had joined their little family, but if there was something she was preoccupied with, it had to be bad. They’d never seen Tatyana that shaken before.</p><p>            Tatyana shook her head as she saw the looks directed her way, warning them not to follow. This was something that had to be explained on her own. She didn’t need them knowing too. In fact, the only reason that she was explaining anything to Zoya was because of <em>who</em> the girl was. While the situation may have been forced upon her, she found that she didn’t exactly mind it. While she was terrified of what the girl would think of her, she knew that if she ever wanted to hope for a relationship with the girl, then she would need to explain. Her past was a big part of who she was, and if she couldn’t get past it, then she at least needed to offer an explanation to the girl who, for some reason unknown to her, seemed to care for her.</p><p>            Upon arriving at Zoya’s room, Tatyana pushed the door open and entered first to ensure that the room was clear before motioning to Zoya. “Go shower,” she murmured. “I’ll retrieve Yana...if you still want her?”</p><p>            Zoya looked at the woman in surprise, nodding. “If you still want me to have her, then of course I’ll take her back,” she stated softly.</p><p>            “I’ll...I’ll be right back, then,” Tatyana whispered, avoiding the girl’s eyes. “Don’t...don’t leave your room and lock the door.”</p><p>            Zoya nodded immediately, making it a point to ensure that Tatyana saw her lock the door securely before she walked to the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She rushed through her shower, skipping most of her normal routine. The conversation that was waiting was more important than her skin being perfectly soft or her hair perfected brushed and dried. Foregoing her usual pajamas, she pulled her bath robe over her naked body, cinching the belt at the waist tightly so it didn’t come undone and walked out to see Tatyana sitting on the floor, playing with Yana.</p><p>            Looking up, Tatyana chuckled at the appearance of the girl who was normally perfectly put together. Her hair hadn’t even been brushed and lay in a tangled mess around her shoulders. Shaking her head, she looked down at Yana as the kitten meowed at her, running her fingers through the creamy fur. “Get me your hairbrush, Zoya,” she ordered softly, looking up at the girl hesitantly.</p><p>            Surprised, Zoya nodded, retrieving her hairbrush from the table near the bathroom. Walking over, she handed it to Tatyana wordlessly.</p><p>            Grasping the handle of the brush, Tatyana looked at it, trailing her fingers over the strands that were caught in the bristles before pushing herself to her feet. Walking to a chair, she pulled it out a little and sat down, motioning to the floor at her feet. “Get a pillow and sit,” she instructed, looking at Zoya.</p><p>            “What?” Zoya questioned, not understanding.</p><p>            “I’m going to brush out your hair,” Tatyana stated. “You can’t leave it like that, or it’ll tangle and be a pain to fix.”</p><p>            “Oh...” Zoya murmured, amazed. The entire situation felt surreal to her. Nodding, she grabbed a large pillow from the bed and walked over to Tatyana, looking at her hesitantly.</p><p>            “Sit,” Tatyana ordered, taking the pillow from Zoya and placing it gently on the floor in front of her.</p><p>            “I...okay,” Zoya murmured in confusion, sitting with her back to the woman, starting when Tatyana started to slowly unknot her hair. She stayed quiet, feeling the tension coming from the woman despite her seemingly relaxed appearance.</p><p>            “First, I need to apologize to you, Zoya,” Tatyana whispered. “You did not deserve to be spoken to as I spoke to you earlier.”</p><p>            Zoya shook her head, turning to look at the woman only to be stopped by firm hands on her head. “No, Tatyana,” she protested. “I shouldn’t have pushed you when you very obviously weren’t comfortable.”</p><p>            Sighing, Tatyana smiled at the girl fondly. She knew exactly what the girl was trying to do, and she wasn’t going to let her. “No, Zoya. I was in the wrong with this and I know it. Now, shush and listen,” she instructed.</p><p>            Zoya blinked at the tone, shutting up as instructed. She’d never heard that tone from Tatyana before.</p><p>            “As I was saying, I should not have spoken to you as I did. You have done nothing wrong, and if anything, have been extremely patient with me. That is more than I could have expected from anyone, especially seeing as you know nothing of my...of my past,” Tatyana murmured, releasing a shaky breath. It didn’t matter how difficult this was, it needed to be said.</p><p>            “I...I know that you like me, Zoya,” she stated, blushing. “It is something that I have been forcing myself to not acknowledge because I was having a difficult time dealing with my own personal demons and I could not deal with you as well.”</p><p>            “You...you don’t have to like me back,” Zoya whispered timidly.</p><p>            “Hush,” Tatyana murmured, readjusting her grip on the hairbrush as she continued speaking. “I know that I have treated you unkindly, oftentimes being cruel. These last few months I have not been easy to deal with and there is a very solid – if irrational – explanation for that.”</p><p>            “I was scared.”</p><p>            “What?” Zoya exclaimed, twisting to look at the woman, only to be gently turned back around again. “Scared of <em>what</em>?”</p><p>            Taking a deep breath, Tatyana replied, “You.”</p><p>            “What?” Zoya blurted.</p><p>            “Let me explain,” Tatyana ordered, tapping the girl on the head with a finger. “I...did not have the best life growing up. Not many know this, but Karolina is my half-sister. Our mother left my father when I was still young. She remarried and had Karolina when I was five. Because her husband didn’t want anything to do with her previous life, I was left with my father.”</p><p>            “At first, everything was fine. At first,” she whispered, running her fingers through the auburn hair in front of her. “It didn’t stay that way for long.”</p><p>            “I...I lov...fuck,” Tatyana cursed, taking a shaky breath before forcing herself to continue. “I loved my father very much growing up. I...I was his little girl, his princess. And it remained like that until I was almost eighteen.”</p><p>            Zoya’s eyes widened as her mind immediately brought images to the forefront of her mind. “Tatyana, you don’t have to tell me anything,” she whispered, biting her lip.</p><p>            “No, I do. I need to,” Tatyana stated immediately. “Please...please don’t interrupt, Zoya.”</p><p>            “Okay...” Zoya whispered brokenly. She could hear the obvious pain in the woman’s voice.</p><p>            “When I was eighteen, a boy asked me to our high school prom. I’d had a big crush on that boy the entire year, so when he asked me to prom, I was so happy,” Tatyana murmured softly. “I begged my father to take me dress shopping, going on and on about how much fun I was going to have. He...was not as happy for me. Only I didn’t realize that until too late.”</p><p>            “The night of prom, he wouldn’t let me go, kicking the boy off our property and telling him that I would never be allowed to see him. I was so angry at him, yelling and screaming at him for ruining my life,” she whispered. “If I had known what that would do to him, I would have run immediately.”</p><p>            “He did not appreciate the resemblance to my mother I guess because the next thing I knew he was...he was on top of me. I fought him back, but I was still too young, and he was so...so much stronger than me.” Tatyana sighed at the choked sob the girl gave at those words, shushing her gently.</p><p>            “That was the first time that I experienced his ‘love’ for me in a physical sense. I was no longer allowed to leave the house and seeing as his parents had left him a lot of money when they died, he had no reason to leave the house. I was trapped there with him for almost six years,” Tatyana stated, ignoring the tears that slipped from her eyes as she concentrated on moving the hairbrush through Zoya’s hair.</p><p>            “Over the course of the next several years, I was made to do things that I had never done before, sometimes things that I hadn’t even known was humanly possible. Every night, I was forced to listen as he professed his love. Every night, I was forced to endure the most extreme violations that a human can bestow upon another human being, all at the hands of the man I had once called father,” Tatyana stated, biting her lips to contain a sob.</p><p>            “The only reason I didn’t die in that house, Zoya, is because of Karolina and her obsessive need to keep tabs on me.” Here, Tatyana chuckled hoarsely. “Karolina has always been my rock, even barely knowing each other growing up. He made a mistake one year, and because of it I missed her birthday, and immediately she knew something was wrong. I had never missed a birthday with her, not since she found out I existed. It was one of the conditions she gave our mother for not running away from home.”</p><p>            “By that time, Karolina had just started dating Yelena, and they were already so involved with each other. When I didn’t even call her to explain my absence, she made Yelena bring her to my house.”</p><p>            “Of course, I wasn’t allowed to answer the door, not that I could have if I wanted. By that time, I was so scared of him that I didn’t dare to go against him. But his mistake with me travelled over into his own self. He had shattered the portrait of our mother that hung in the entry way of the house, a portrait that he valued more than life itself. Something that Karolina knew,” Tatyana commented. “She always was so bright.”</p><p>            By this point, Zoya had drawn her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms tight around them in an effort to keep herself from turning and throwing herself at the woman behind her. She had said that she would listen, and she would. If listening to the woman she loved talk would help in any way, then she would listen to this story a hundred times over, no matter how much it broke her heart.</p><p>            “Apparently, Karolina spoke about everything to Yelena, and she also knew the significance of the portrait missing from the wall. They asked to speak with me immediately, only to be told that I was not feeling well and would not be allowed to see anyone. However, there was one thing that he never considered. I don’t get sick. Ever. Not even a simple cold.”</p><p>            “They refused to believe him and forced their way into the house. He immediately tried to attack them, but by that point Yelena had already made a name for herself with her unique talent for torture and was able to subdue and restrain him. It...it took them an hour to find me.”</p><p>            Tatyana released a broken sob, her mind filled with images from the past as the hairbrush dropped from her shaky hand. She let her fingers run through Zoya’s hair as she recounted the rest of her tale.</p><p>            “They found me in a room he had designed and specially built, located in the basement of our house. I was barely recognizable to my sister. I had numerous broken bones, bruising and I was bleeding profusely. Had they not found me when they did, I would have died within days,” she whispered brokenly. “Karolina was so angry. They locked him up and sought medical attention for me. I was in the hospital for almost five months. I would have been out earlier, but I tried to kill myself. The nurse had made a mistake and left a bottle of pills in the room unattended. I took the entire bottle.”</p><p>            “Karolina was livid, and so was Yelena. The nurse was fired immediately, and my sister took her to court, destroying her and her family,” Tatyana murmured, her hands trembling. “But I didn’t...I didn’t fully heal. The doctors told me that because of what I went through, I would never...never have children. I had too much scar tissue from the tools he used on me. I didn’t find out until later that for the duration of my hospital stay, he was kept locked up and experienced everything that I was forced to endure over the years that I was kept locked up. They didn’t kill him until the doctors deemed me healthy enough to leave.”</p><p>            “It took Karolina and Yelena both almost another two years to help me reach a point where I was able to interact with others again without going into a full-blown panic attack. That man had literally destroyed me, mentally and physically. I couldn’t be touched. I couldn’t deal with someone liking me. There was a time this guy approached me and asked me out and I almost had to be hospitalized.”</p><p>            “I made the decision at that point that I would never be able to have a relationship with someone, that I wouldn’t put anyone through not being able to even touch me. I couldn’t even think about the word ‘love’ without feeling physically ill to the point of almost being incapacitated. My sister, the woman who dedicated her life to helping me heal, hasn’t heard me say those words to her in almost ten years.”</p><p>            Zoya’s shoulders shook as she placed her forehead on her knees, hatred for the man who had done something so horrible to such a beautiful soul raging through her. She knew if Yelena hadn’t already done something to take care of the problem, then she would have. She finally understood why the woman had reacted the way she had, and she felt so guilty for her part in pushing her.</p><p>            “Every time I started to even feel slightly attracted to someone over the last few years, I would immediately run. I refused to even think about loving someone because the very idea terrified me. The last person that I had loved had destroyed me completely. I wasn’t able to be near men without being scared of them. It took forever for me to let anyone touch me. I was just starting to get over the fear of being touched when Mikhail hired Yelena, and by default, me. In reality, it was the triplets who helped most with the fear of being touched. Their relationship dynamics reassured me that they would never be interested in me, so it let me become accustomed to men touching me again.”</p><p>            “But there was one thing that I never let myself get over,” she murmured. “And that was my fear of letting someone love me.”</p><p>            Zoya shook her head, a soft whine escaping her lips.</p><p>            “Hush,” Tatyana said fondly, lifting a hand to wipe the tears from her face. She was surprised to notice that she wasn’t shaking, a small smile gracing her lips. “But something changed, and changed drastically. Something that for the first time ever, I could not run from. Do you want to know what that was, Zoya?”</p><p>            Zoya couldn’t respond, her already fragile control on her limbs tightening and threatening to snap.</p><p>            “You,” Tatyana announced upon not receiving a response, causing the girl to tense under her fingers. “When Mikhail opened the container that day, and I saw you step out, I felt like I had been thrown into the middle of the ocean without any sort of assistance. You...you were so...beautiful. I couldn’t...couldn’t deal with facing you, but before I could fall back into my regular habits of running away, Mikhail tasked me with protecting you.”</p><p>            Zoya shuddered, biting her lip. She hadn’t realized. She’d just assumed the woman hated her and didn’t want to be near her. But instead, she was struggling with all of this.</p><p>            “For the first time since I was taken from that house, I was being forced to face what terrified me most. I didn’t know how to deal with you. You watched me all the time, made me feel things that I had never allowed myself to feel before,” Tatyana laughed softly, shaking her head. “I almost ran once. Had it not been for Karolina and Yelena, I would have abandoned everyone here and said fuck it. But they talked me down and convinced me that I didn’t need to act on anything that I felt, that it didn’t even need to be spoken about.”</p><p>            “But, you were always there. Even if I didn’t have to say anything, you were always right next to me, so innocent and pure, someone that taunted me with illusions of what I figured I would never have. I ignored all the signs that suggested you cared for me, too caught up in myself to think about anything else. But you,” Tatyana smiled down at the girl, stroking her hair. “You never changed. You never did anything that suggested you required something from me, and I honestly think that had I never said any of this, you would have gone on never requiring anything of me.”</p><p>            “But...that wouldn’t be fair, and I won’t do that to you. I’m...I’m broken, Zoya. The words still scare me beyond belief, to the point where I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to say them confidently. I...the idea of having...sex scares me, even if it is with a woman, even with someone smaller than me. Until recently...until recently I couldn’t even...t-touch myself,” Tatyana admitted with a deep blush.</p><p>            “I cannot offer anyone anything from a relationship with me. It would not be fair to the other person to expect them to be in a relationship where their partner could not be touched, kissed or even held. My...my feelings are the reason I overreacted with you, and they are also the reason that I needed to tell you about why I cannot let you give up your life like this.”</p><p>            Zoya raised her head in shock. She wouldn’t be giving away her life. Besides, she had already vowed to wait for the woman for however long it took her to be ready to accept her. Turning, she gently brushed off the woman’s hands when she tried to turn her back around again. “Tatyana, I don’t...I don’t think you understand,” Zoya whispered brokenly, the tears still streaming from her eyes, this time a mixture of both happy and sad.</p><p>            Tatyana frowned, staring down at the girl as she slowly withdrew her hands. “What...what don’t I understand, Zoya?” she questioned, confused.</p><p>            “Do you really wish to control how I feel? What I do with my life?” Zoya questioned, taking a deep breath.</p><p>            Shocked, Tatyana shook her head. “I would never seek to control someone. I...couldn’t do it,” she stated, voice uncertain. “It would...remind me too much of him.”</p><p>            “Then why do you say that you cannot let me ‘give up my life’? What makes you assume that I would be giving up anything by loving you?” Zoya questioned, a tremulous smile on her lips.</p><p>            “But...I can’t...” Tatyana whispered, shaking her head. “You can’t even touch me without...without me being scared. I can’t kiss you. I can’t...I can’t do anything for you.” She blushed, giving away exactly what she meant.</p><p>            “But...do you really have the ability to control what I feel? Because I can...wait for however long it takes you to feel ready for anything, be it simply holding my hand or something more,” Zoya stated, smiling as she raised a hand to wipe the tears from her cheeks. “And besides, I don’t think you’re being entirely honest with yourself.”</p><p>            “It may take me years before I’m even comfortable holding your hand, Zoya,” Tatyana protested softly, eyes begging the girl to understand. “And how am I not being honest with myself?”</p><p>            “Then I wait years to hold your hand, and when I finally do, I will treasure the moment even more, because then I will know you trust not only me, but you trust yourself enough to let me,” Zoya whispered, smiling gently. “As for not being honest with yourself, I know you can kiss me, as you’ve done it before.”</p><p>            Tatyana looked down at the girl wide eyed, knowing exactly what the girl was referencing. “But...you were asleep...” she whispered, face going red.</p><p>            Zoya nodded with a shy smile. “I was...but I’m a very light sleeper. I always have been. I...admit that I shouldn’t have pretended to be asleep, but the moment I felt you hold me I couldn’t help myself. I spent months yearning for attention from you beyond simple orders designed to keep me safe, and the moment I felt your arms around me, I lost any grasp of my control. I know I should have let you know that I was awake, but...I just couldn’t. My heart ached for some sort of acknowledgment. I fell back asleep before we even got to my room. I don’t even remember you placing me on the bed, I was so deeply asleep. I...I trusted you to keep me safe.”</p><p>            “Oh...” Tatyana breathed out, shaky hand moving to her mouth as she stared at the girl. Her mind brought forth the memory of her only kiss given willingly as she blushed again.</p><p>            “Tatyana, I don’t care how long it takes you. I don’t care I if I have to wait days, months or even years, but I will never choose to leave you. I will always stay by your side, even if I never get the chance to touch you. Because a life without you in it, is no life at all,” Zoya stated gently. “But if you ever feel you <em>are</em> ready for something, no matter how small it might seem, I will be there to experience it with you.”</p><p>            Yana jumped into Tatyana’s lap, sitting on her knee and meowing loudly up at Tatyana, causing Zoya to laugh. “And so will Yana,” she announced with a grin.</p><p>            Tatyana laughed softly, shaking her head. “What if...what if you want something that I can never provide?” she questioned, unsure.</p><p>            Shrugging, Zoya pushed herself to her feet. Taking a deep breath, she took a step away from the woman, moving her hands to the belt that kept the robe closed. Taking another step back to ensure the woman knew she didn’t expect anything, she locked eyes onto Tatyana’s as she stared at her wide eyed. “Then I take care of myself, or I buy toys,” she stated simply, letting the robe fall to the floor as she untied it, baring herself to Tatyana without a single hesitation. “Because the only thing that I can think of would be sexual, and I am perfectly fine continuing to take care of myself, as I have for the last few years. And I will say this now, I will <em>never</em> ask you for anything. If you ever wish anything from me, then you will set the pace, no matter how much or how little. And the invitation for you to watch me is open and will remain open.”</p><p>            With a vivid blush, Zoya cleared her throat and turned, walking to the table she had placed clean clothing on before she had left the house. Keeping herself focused on getting dressed, she ignored Tatyana, giving the woman a chance to get used to being in the room with her when she was naked. Normally, she would be embarrassed at being naked in the same room as someone else, but with this woman, she would do whatever it took to help her heal.</p><p>            Tatyana froze as she watched Zoya walk away from her, eyes glued to the girl’s curvy figure. Anyone else might find flaws on the girl, saying she was not thin enough, that she was too filled out, but to Tatyana, the girl was perfect. She looked beautiful and soft, her skin a creamy blush colour. Hands shaking, she stood, setting Yana on the floor without taking her eyes off the girl’s back. The idea of the girl doing <em>anything</em> she had suggested overwhelmed her thoughts, sending now familiar spikes of longing through her body. However, the very idea of acting on those still scared her. But, somehow, she knew that the girl meant every single word she had said to her.</p><p>            Walking up to the girl, she watched Zoya stop moving, keeping her hands at her sides in plain sight as her shirt hung from her fingertips, dressed in only a pair of underwear and shorts. Raising her hands, she shook as she placed them carefully on the girl’s naked shoulders, releasing a nervous breath. She traced her fingertips over the girl’s skin, amazed to find that it was as soft as it looked. Unable to help herself, and trusting the girl to keep her word, she brushed her lips across the girl’s shoulder, shaking. “Thank you, Zoya,” she whispered before turning abruptly and leaving the room, closing the door between their rooms.</p><p>            As soon as she heard the door close, Zoya collapsed to her knees, trembling as her hand raised to touch her skin where Tatyana’s lips had been. She laughed softly as she heard Tatyana’s bedroom door close, hearing her footsteps echo in the hall, pausing briefly before her door before moving on down the hall. “Oh, Tatyana. You’re going to be just fine, my beautiful, strong woman,” Zoya whispered, smiling as she finished dressing. Grabbing her book off her nightstand, she settled herself onto her bed, petting Yana as she jumped onto the bed to lay on top of her. She would do everything to make sure that she no longer caused trouble for anyone in that house. Even if it meant staying in her room for days, she would do so. Because in the end, it would all be worth it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>            Emery smiled as he looked up from the book that Yuri had given him to read. He’d decided that enough was enough and had approached the other man with a request to learn how to do stuff around the estate. In his mind, if he was going to be living there, he was required to work. After all, Mikhail had said he would give him a job on the estate because it would be needed with all the security upgrades that were taking place.</p><p>            After clearing it with Mikhail, Yuri had started training him, citing that before he could learn to fight, he would have to understand the history behind the styles that he taught the men. Glad that he was finally going to be able to start earning his keep, Emery hadn’t argued. Instead, he poured through book after book, surprising Yuri with his ability to learn. In the last week he’d managed to get through most of the literature given to him, showing a surprising grasp of the concepts within.</p><p>            To prepare him for actual physical training, he’d been attending the training that Yuri hosted with the men on the property daily. He wasn’t yet allowed to participate but watching had given him a large understanding of how the body moved when pushed through the exercises that Yuri made the men and women do. In honor of all the work that he’d managed to do so far, Yuri had told him to relax and just read, which was just what he was doing.</p><p>            He’d been hoping to spend some time with Charlie, but the man had been even busier than him lately with the upgrades to the property in full swing. It was actually impressive to see the amount of men and women that came and went daily on the property. Seeing Elite Strike in action was something to be admired, and he was extremely proud to be able to see the work that Charlie did. More than once he’d been distracted by the man when he’d seen him walking around the property, yelling orders to the men he was in charge of as they set up cameras and sensors.</p><p>            Watching the men and women work as one told him exactly how much control that Dax had over her company and made him admire the woman even more. Very few people commanded as much respect as her while still having the friendship of each and every individual that worked under her. The few times he’d seen her walking around while in ear shot, he’d been impressed to hear her talking to each of her staff, inquiring after some injury or family member, always remembering their names. He’d never seen someone so invested in the people who worked for them, though he was starting to realize that Mikhail was similar based off the interactions he’d witnessed.</p><p>            Stretching, he stood up from the huge patio he was sitting on, pushing the chair back into the table. Spotting Charlie walking around the corner with his shirt off, he smiled brilliantly when he saw the man was alone. Clutching the book he was reading tightly at his side, he ran up to the man to greet him.</p><p>            “Hello, Sir!” he exclaimed softly, smiling up at the man who stopped in front of him. He bounced a little on his toes in excitement, free hand fiddling with a loose thread on his shirt.</p><p>            Charlie looked down at the young man in front of him, unable to stop the smile that stretched his lips. “Hello, brat. Not training today?” he asked softly, chuckling at the energy that radiated off the kid.</p><p>            “Nope! Yuri told me to take the day and just read,” Emery stated, holding up the book he had in his hand. “He said that I’ve been picking things up really quickly, and since I’ve managed to get through so much in such a short time, he said to just relax and read.”</p><p>            Charlie hummed thoughtfully, taking the book and flipping through the pages. “The Book of Five Rings, hmm?” he murmured, handing the book back to Emery.</p><p>            “Yuri said it’s important to understand the history of fighting and various martial arts styles before you start to learn. The books I’ve read so far are very interesting. There’s a lot of discussion about conflict resolution and how you don’t need to actually resort to fighting all the time,” Emery stated, looking down at the book in his hand. “A lot of the concepts discussed can actually be applied to situations that don’t even involve fighting. It’s been very informative.”</p><p>            Charlie chuckled, ruffling the kid’s hair as he looked up with adoration shining from his eyes. “I’m glad that you’re enjoying yourself. I’ve been too busy to be much company, what with all the work that needs to get done,” he stated, resting his hand on Emery’s shoulder.</p><p>            “No!” Emery protested, eyes wide. “Don’t worry about it, Sir. I understand that your work is extremely important, and I would never think of doing anything that would cause you issues with that.”</p><p>            Charlie stared at Emery consideringly, realizing that the kid actually meant that. The last person he’d been with had demanded a lot more of his time, and eventually, they had parted after realizing that they wouldn’t work out with the lifestyles that they had. He didn’t think that was an issue he would have with Emery, which made him wonder if he really wanted to give up the kid after everything at the estate was done like he had been considering.</p><p>            He still hadn’t had any time to give Emery any kind of instruction, and if he was being honest with himself, he probably wouldn’t for a while. At least, not until after the job was complete. It was one of the reasons he hadn’t wanted to start anything with the boy, especially if he was just going to leave after the job was done. It wasn’t fair to Emery, and it wasn’t fair to himself.</p><p>            Emery smiled happily, looking over all the exposed skin. Seeing the sweat beads rolling down Charlie’s chest, Emery licked his lips unconsciously. “Are you busy right now?”</p><p>            Charlie shook his head, pulling his hand back from the boy and running it through his damp hair. “I’ve got to run into the city for some cables. We ran out on the north end because of a terrain issue,” he stated, moving around the boy and walking towards the house.</p><p>            Moving with him, Emery tilted his head in thought. “Can I come with you?” he asked hesitantly, meeting the man’s eyes when he looked at him.</p><p>            Charlie thought about it for a moment before nodding slightly. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt,” he murmured, sighing internally at the brilliant smile his words caused. He really should stop encouraging the very obvious feelings that Emery was developing for him. It was just going to make everything more difficult. Entering the house, Charlie pulled his shirt from his back pocket, yanking it over his head. “Go get your wallet and whatnot. We can grab food on the way back.”</p><p>            Emery smiled, running off down the hall as he headed for their room. Watching him go, Charlie shook his head with a sigh. Even when he didn’t try, the boy endeared himself to him. Shaking himself, he told himself that the job was more important than his personal life at the moment and walked to the front, grabbing the keys to the pickup truck that Dax owned from the front table, foregoing the jacket that rested with it in consideration of the heat. As he opened the front door, he heard running steps and looked up to see Emery bolting down the stairs, taking them three at a time.</p><p>            Pausing in the doorway, he raised a brow at the flushed cheeks the kid had. “Was it really necessary to run, brat? You could have very easily gotten hurt running down those stairs,” he scolded with a soft glare.</p><p>            Emery bit his lip under the attention, blush dusting his cheeks. “I knew what I was doing, Sir...” he murmured.</p><p>            Charlie shook his head, lightly grasping the kid’s arm and pulling him forward. Staring down at him, he ordered, “From now on, you take those stairs one at a time, brat. Don’t make me repeat myself.” Not giving the kid time to respond, he turned him around and delivered two sharp smacks to the jean covered ass, making Emery squeak in surprise.</p><p>            As the man released him, Emery turned around to face Charlie again with a surprised look in his eyes. That certainly hadn’t been expected. He gulped at the stern expression the man wore, nodding hesitantly. “I won’t do that again, Sir. I...I promise,” he whispered, face red as he shifted uncomfortably, cursing his immediate reaction.</p><p>            “Good,” Charlie muttered, motioning for Emery to follow him. “Now, we need to get going if I want to get back at a decent time.”</p><p>            Emery blinked at the huge pickup truck they walked towards, somehow not surprised that the man would drive something like that. Stopping next to the passenger door, he frowned at the height of the truck. While it wasn’t a problem for him to get inside with his height, he wondered why it was so high up off the ground.</p><p>            “Get in, brat,” Charlie ordered, walking around the other side and hauling himself into the driver’s seat, pushing the key into the ignition and starting it.</p><p>            Doing as instructed, Emery climbed into the truck to find it pristine with not a speck of dust. Buckling his seat belt, he glanced at the man. “Why is the truck lifted like this?” he asked hesitantly. He’d heard the comment that people often made about men and big trucks and he could honestly say that Charlie did <em>not</em> have to worry about that. If anything, the opposite was true with Charlie.</p><p>            Charlie smirked at the kid, accurately guessing what he was thinking. “Obviously, not because of your stereotypical reason,” he stated, pulling away from the estate after nodding to the guards at the gate.</p><p>            Emery shook his head, eyes wide as he blushed furiously. “I...I wasn’t...”</p><p>            Charlie roared in laughter at the shocked look. “Calm down, brat. It was a joke,” he assured, still chuckling. “It’s lifted because we often have jobs out in the country and the last time we took a regular truck out, we just about ripped the undercarriage off of it. It was deemed a necessary piece of equipment after that.”</p><p>            Emery nodded, glancing out of the window as the scenery sped past. “But...why do you have it now?”</p><p>            Charlie grinned at that, shooting the kid a look. “Because it’s the only damn vehicle we have that I’m comfortable driving,” he murmured. “Ya know, because of my large...frame.”</p><p>            Squeaking, Emery turned away from the man and opened the window, letting the cool air blast him in the face as Charlie burst into laughter again. Biting his cheek, Emery rested his head against the door frame, a small smile teasing at his lips as he listened to the man next to him sing along to the radio. Paying attention to the audio, he almost laughed as he realized the man was listening to country music. Honestly, he wasn’t surprised. Give the man a cowboy hat and boots, and he’d look like he’d be at home on the back of a horse.</p><p>            Mind going back to the conversation that Charlie had said they would have, he turned back to face the man. Hesitantly, he murmured, “You...you still haven’t told me what you want to be called...”</p><p>            Immediately, Charlie stopped singing, shaking his head. “Not a conversation we should be having right now, brat. We’ll talk about it later,” he replied before reaching forward and turning the music up.</p><p>            Sighing, Emery nodded, deciding not to push the man. He would tell him when he was ready. And who knows; maybe Nikolai might be able to offer some sort of insight. After all, he was definitely more experienced than he was in all of this.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Nikolai watched Emery glare at the dark-haired man across the room, shaking his head with a grin. He’d been doing so for a while now and honestly, it was hilarious. He’d never seen his friend act like this before, but it suited him. “If you glare any harder, Emery, Charlie is going to go up in flames,” Nikolai pointed out helpfully, laughing at the pout directed his way. “What’s wrong anyway? I thought you guys were good.”</p><p>            Sighing, Emery slumped back into the sofa. “We were supposed to have a conversation about what I could call him, but that was almost two weeks ago now,” he grumbled, crossing his arms petulantly.</p><p>            “What do you want to call him?” Zoya questioned from her place on the floor where she was mediating the interaction between Yana and Nikolai’s dogs, Lady and Duchess.</p><p>            “I...wanted to call him ‘Master’, like Nikolai does with Mikhail, but he asked me not to, stating he preferred something else,” Emery explained. “But he hasn’t told me what he <em>does</em> prefer yet.”</p><p>            Nikolai hummed lightly, narrowing his eyes as he examined Charlie closely. “No, I agree with Charlie,” Nikolai murmured thoughtfully. “He’s not a ‘Master’.”</p><p>            Ignoring the inquisitive look from his friend, he continued his examination. Charlie was a big man and very heavily muscled, more so than his own Master. He was also taller than Mikhail by at least an inch or two. His size and dark brown – almost black – hair gave him a dangerous appearance, but it was his personality that told him the man shouldn’t be called ‘Master’. He could definitely see the playful nature the man had, however, he could also see that he wouldn’t put up with stupid shit. He seemed very dependable, caring and as if you could lean on him without ever having to worry about anything.</p><p>            Zoya giggled, slapping her hand over her mouth as both Nikolai and Emery leaned forward to examine her. Wide eyed, she whispered, “I think I know what he likes being called.”</p><p>            Immediately, both of them joined her on the floor, exclaiming in unison. “What?”</p><p>            “Nikolai?” Mikhail called, curious.</p><p>            Nikolai looked up, blushing lightly. “It’s nothing, Master! Promise!” He waved his hands at the man, grinning as he received a look before the man returned to the conversation he was having with Dax and Charlie.</p><p>            “Well?” Emery pushed, poking his new sister excitedly.</p><p>            “Think about it!” she whispered urgently. “He’s protective. He’s stern but friendly and willing to listen. He acts a little like Mikhail, but there are very subtle differences that indicate that he wouldn’t let something slide that maybe Mikhail would. What did you say he called you?”</p><p>            Emery frowned in confusion. “He calls me ‘brat’. What...does that mean something?”</p><p>            “Master has called me that before,” Nikolai pointed out, in the same boat as Emery on this one.</p><p>            “Yes, but <em>when</em> does he call you a brat?” Zoya questioned softly, grinning.</p><p>            “Only when I act...like...oh! I see!” Nikolai breathed out, catching on to what she was trying to get across. He bit his lip to keep the laughter from spilling out as he turned to look at the man in question. “Oh, I definitely see it now. It...it fits him. He definitely has the stern but loving look down.”</p><p>            Growling, Emery looked from one to the other, reaching out and poking them in the sides. “Can someone please clue me in on the information session here?” he demanded.</p><p>            With a grin, Zoya leaned close and whispered instructions into Emery’s ear as Nikolai laughed loudly at the squeak that fell from his lips, falling backwards and clutching his stomach. “Your face!” he gasped out, unable to stop laughing.</p><p>            Scowling, Emery stuck his tongue out at Nikolai, giving him the finger.</p><p>            “Brat!” Charlie snapped, giving the kid a look.</p><p>            Startled, Emery looked up and met the eyes of the man, blushing furiously as he looked down. “Sorry, Sir,” he said, biting his lip. “Sorry, Nikolai.”</p><p>            Pushing himself upright, Nikolai grinned knowingly. “Totally what it is, or I’ll eat my socks.”</p><p>            Zoya giggled, throwing her arms around Emery’s shoulders as he slouched forward, dropping his head into his hands. “Don’t worry. You’ll be fine,” she stated firmly.</p><p>            “Yeah...it’s kinda hot, actually,” Nikolai stated, looking at Charlie with a grin.</p><p>            Emery bit his lip as he thought about calling the man that, blushing as he realized it interested him quite a bit. He’d never thought about calling a grown man that before, but now that the idea had been put there, he was unable to push it from his mind. The more that he thought of it, the more that he hoped the man would let him use the word.</p><p>            “Brat?”</p><p>            Yelping, Emery’s head whipped up, almost hitting Zoya’s. Wide eyed, he met Charlie’s confused eyes. “Y-yes Sir?” he whispered, licking his lips hesitantly.</p><p>            Frowning, Charlie glanced at Zoya and Nikolai to see them grinning widely before shaking his head. Obviously, he’d missed something. "What’s going on?”</p><p>            Nikolai poked Emery in the side, startling him as he announced, “Emery would like to talk with you, Charlie.”</p><p>            Charlie examined the trio in front of him, nodding slowly. “Okay then. I have a couple hours before we have to do another round to check the equipment, so I suppose we can go chat.” He held out a hand to Emery expectantly, pulling the kid to his feet.</p><p>            “We’ll see you in a few, Emery,” Nikolai called after them as they left the room, Zoya sending them a happy wave as she grinned widely. He had a feeling that things were about to get a little more interesting for his friend.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Emery fiddled with the hem of his shirt, staring at Charlie as he went about the room and picked up the laundry he had just thrown on the floor after his shower earlier. He listened to the man mutter to himself as he did so, realizing that Zoya and Nikolai had been right about how Charlie acted. Again, he thought about how his friends had referred to Charlie, squirming as he felt the heat race through him. He didn’t know why he found the idea so arousing, but he did. He’d never thought of calling someone that before, but now that the idea was there, his mind kept throwing up various scenarios where he felt the full impact of Charlie’s nature.</p><p>            His mind flashed back to the first time they’d had sex and the sharp slap that had been delivered to his ass when he hadn’t listened. He remembered the time he had taken the stairs three at a time and the reaction that the man had immediately afterwards, remembering the stern look that had been directed at him. Blushing, he watched Charlie throw the clothing in the laundry bin before walking into the bathroom to hang the towel back up on the rack. He moaned softly as he heard the man curse before yelling.</p><p>            “Brat, do you even know how to clean up after yourself?” Charlie demanded loudly.</p><p>            Emery bit his lip as he heard the man moving things around in the bathroom, standing and walking towards the open door. Watching the man organize the countertop, he released a shaky breath, hoping that his friends weren’t wrong.</p><p>            “I’m sorry...Daddy.”</p><p>            The reaction was immediate. Charlie froze, dropping the bottle he was holding onto the counter as his head dropped forward, eyes wide. He grit his teeth at the unexpected arousal that lanced through him, making his flesh swell behind the tight shorts he wore. Forcing himself to concentrate on keeping his breathing calm, he looked up and met the kid’s eyes in the mirror. “Excuse me...?” he whispered, voice deceptively soft.</p><p>            Emery’s eyes widened at the reaction, his arm crossing in front of his chest to clutch tightly at the other one as his blush deepened. He certainly hadn’t expected such an intense reaction, and he wondered if he was in trouble. God, he hoped so.</p><p>            Licking his lips, he repeated himself. “I’m...I’m sorry, Daddy.”</p><p>            Shuddering, Charlie’s eyes slipped close as he tried to restrain himself. He thought back to how the trio had looked earlier, cursing Nikolai and Zoya for zeroing in on this but not exactly surprised. He couldn’t exactly change his personality to hide who he was. He’d been putting off having the conversation he’d said he would have with the kid because he honestly hadn’t thought that Emery would want to stay with him. He’d refused to contemplate anything lasting beyond when the fucker that was targeting Zoya was caught. He hadn’t wanted to hear those words from the kid, because it would make it impossible for him to leave in the end.</p><p>            But, if the kid had gone to those two for help, chances were he wouldn’t want him to leave. Eyes snapping open, he glared at the kid in the mirror. “What do you want from this, brat?” he demanded huskily.</p><p>            Emery blinked, startled. “Daddy...?”</p><p>            “Don’t,” Charlie snapped, cutting him off. “Not yet. Call me Charlie, brat.”</p><p>            Emery blinked back tears, frowning as he wondered what he had done wrong. “I...I don’t understand...Charlie. What do you mean?”</p><p>            Charlie forced himself to ignore the tears that gathered in the kid’s eyes, needing this resolved. “What do you want from me? From this relationship? How long is this going to last, Emery?”</p><p>            That had not been what he was expecting. Emery ducked his head, wondering how to answer the man. He wanted everything, but how did he put that into words without seeming like a kid. Then again, maybe that didn’t matter to the man before him.</p><p>            “I...I want everything, Charlie,” he said softly, but firmly. He didn’t want the man to doubt the sincerity of his words. “For however long that you want me.”</p><p>            Charlie went wide eyed, unable to believe what the kid was saying. “Do you know what you’re saying, brat?”</p><p>            “I...yes,” Emery stated, nodding. “I want to be your boy, for as long as you want to keep me.”</p><p>            Charlie chuckled, straightening. “I don’t know why I even bothered,” he muttered ruefully. The kid had already come to mean more to him than anyone had in a long time. He’d been a fool to think that he would ever be able to give him up.</p><p>            Emery frowned, the tears spilling over as he looked down. Had he been wrong? He bit his lip, wondering if he’d just made a fool of himself. Of course someone as good as Charlie wouldn’t want him permanently. Even his own father didn’t want him, and it was just a matter of time until Zoya’s father no longer wanted him either. He was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he failed to notice the man in front of him shake his head and walk towards him. When a hand appeared in front of his face, wiping away his tears, he blinked in surprise, looking up into Charlie’s face.</p><p>            “Stop crying, brat,” Charlie ordered softly, a fond smile on his face.</p><p>            “But...I...” Emery tried, unable to stop crying.</p><p>            “Hush, brat,” Charlie muttered, pulling the kid into his arms. “Listen to Daddy.”</p><p>            Emery froze, his face pressed lightly against the hard chest in front of him as his mind registered the words. He trembled as he whispered, “You...you don’t want to throw me away?”</p><p>            Charlie chuckled softly, shaking his head. “Christ, no. You want to be mine, Emery? Then you have me. And everything that entails. So, be a good boy and stop crying, okay?”</p><p>            The words had the opposite effect that Charlie wanted as Emery started crying harder. He couldn’t believe that the man wasn’t throwing him away. “I...I promise to be a...a good boy, Daddy. I won’t...I...”</p><p>            Charlie picked him up and carried him into the bedroom, laying him down on the bed. Shushing him, he stripped his shirt off before climbing in next to him, pulling him back into his arms. Wiping away the tears again, Charlie pressed a kiss to Emery’s forehead, threading his fingers through his hair gently.</p><p>            “Stop your crying, brat,” Charlie murmured softly, rubbing his back soothingly. “I’m not going anywhere.”</p><p>            Emery cuddled close to the man, pushing his head underneath Charlie’s chin as he started calming down. He thought of the last three weeks and his interactions with the man, smiling to himself as he wiped the tears from his eyes. “Thank you,” he whispered softly.</p><p>            Charlie hummed lightly, eyes closed as he relaxed. “For what, brat?” he murmured.</p><p>            “Just...thank you...Daddy,” Emery replied softly, yawning unexpectedly.</p><p>            Laughing at the sound the kid made as he yawned, Charlie manhandled him onto his side facing away from him before turning onto his own side and pulling Emery tight to his chest. Pressing a kiss to the back of his head, Charlie buried his face in the kid’s hair. “Go to sleep, brat.”</p><p>            “But...I’m not tired,” Emery tried protesting, only for another yawn to escape.</p><p>            Snorting, Charlie lightly slapped the boy’s hip. “Sure you aren’t. Listen to Daddy, brat.”</p><p>            Emery sighed, pushing back into the embrace as he nodded against the arm his head was resting on. “Yes, Daddy,” he whispered, closing his eyes. He smiled sleepily as he felt the man’s reaction against his ass. Maybe when they woke, they could have some fun.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Tatyana cursed her thoughts, glad that she wasn’t outside of the house as she watched Zoya stretch on the patio lounger on the balcony that was attached to Tatyana’s own room as she froze, wide eyed. When the girl had discovered the balcony, she’d immediately claimed it and the lounger that was on it, cleaning it up so that she could sunbathe in privacy. The balcony was high enough that no one below could see who was on it unless they were standing up, and Zoya took advantage of that.</p><p>            At first, she’d been fine with the girl claiming the balcony as she had just started reading out there. Then, it had transitioned into laying on the balcony in her shorts and tank. It had taken Tatyana a little to get used to the girl laying outside her bedroom with so much skin on show but get used to it she had. However, it started to seem like Zoya was pushing her more and more, waiting until she was comfortable with things before adding a new element.</p><p>            After getting used to the shorts and tank ensemble, she had walked out onto the balcony one day to see the girl sleeping in the sun dressed in a small bikini style swimsuit. It was only the fact that the girl was sleeping that stopped her from retreating immediately upon seeing the flesh exposed. Instead, she’d perched cautiously on a chair near the door to the balcony and examined the girl.</p><p>            Seeing so much of her flesh exposed was eye opening. Despite the fact that she’d seen absolutely everything the girl had to offer if she wanted to take advantage of it, she’d never really registered what had been in front of her at the time. So, having the chance to examine Zoya whilst she slept offered an opportunity to take in all of her beauty uninterrupted.</p><p>            Slowly, she had started to become comfortable with the outfit, even while Zoya was awake, partly due to the fact that the girl made no motion to move while in her presence. Instead, she used the opportunity to have quiet conversations with Tatyana, drawing her out of her shell and digging for tidbits of information that would let her be a better companion.</p><p>            It had taken a couple of weeks from the time that Tatyana had explained everything to Zoya for her to become comfortable around the girl in such a capacity. And, as she should have expected by now, the moment that she became comfortable being around Zoya in the bathing suit, she changed it up again. Which led to the current circumstances in which Tatyana found herself in.</p><p>            She should have realized what the next step was to this dance Zoya was playing at. After all, there weren’t many options that came to mind after a bathing suit. Had she been thinking about it, she would have known that the moment she became comfortable, the girl would transition into what she saw before her.</p><p>            Pure, sun kissed skin. Nude skin.</p><p>            She stood in the doorway of the balcony, unable to remove her eyes from the beautiful form of the girl who had declared her loyalty. Slowly, she perched on the chair that had been moved to the doorway, knowing that Zoya had moved it for her before she’d even gone onto the balcony. Her eyes flicked to the thin bathrobe that had been tossed carelessly on the floor next to the lounger before gravitating back to the girl. At least she hadn’t walked out here naked.</p><p>            Her eyes drank in the exposed flesh, zeroing in on parts of the girl she hadn’t had a chance to see yet. Her nipples were a soft, dusky rose colour that blended into the creamy flesh surrounding them. Her eyes trailed lower, widening slightly as she saw the nude flesh between her thighs. Her heart stuttered in her chest as she realized the girl was completely hairless, leaving her bare to observing eyes.</p><p>            She didn’t know what was worse. If Zoya hadn’t been hairless, Tatyana would have been absorbed in wondering how the girl looked. Seeing her like she was, however, made her wonder even more. She licked her lips unconsciously as Zoya rolled over on the lounger onto her stomach, presenting another view entirely.</p><p>            “Tatyana, may I please have a bottle of water?”</p><p>            Startled, Tatyana looked up into warm, grey eyes that seemed to smile at her reassuringly, acknowledging that she knew Tatyana was staring but saying that she didn’t mind. “I...of course, Zoya. I’ll be right back,” Tatyana murmured, standing and taking a step back before turning and walking towards the small refrigerator she had in her room that she stored basic necessities in. Kneeling down, she opened it and took a bottle of water out, holding it tightly as she tried to gather herself.</p><p>            Moments later, she was back at the doorway, bottle clutched in her hand as she examined the girl. Clearing her throat, she got Zoya’s attention, holding the bottle up hesitantly. “Where...where do you want me to put it?”</p><p>            Zoya smiled brilliantly, motioning towards the table that sat in the middle of the balcony, close to the lounger. “On the table is fine. Thank you,” she stated.</p><p>            Biting her lip, Tatyana stepped through onto the balcony, walking the few steps needed to the table. Bending at the waist, she placed the bottle on the table before straightening and stepping back again.</p><p>            “Why don’t you join me outside? There’s a chair over there that you can sit in,” Zoya murmured, resting her cheek on the lounger as she let her eyes slip closed, sighing at the heat from the sun. “It’s too beautiful outside to be locked up inside all day.”</p><p>            Tatyana opened her mouth to object, looking to the chair the girl had mentioned only to blink as she saw the position it was in. Eyes narrowing slightly, she examined the position of the lounger in relation to the position of the chair and immediately realized what the girl was doing. If she sat in that chair, it would give her an uninterrupted view of the girl from the feet up. She’d see exactly what the girl had to offer her by claiming that chair. However, despite the slightly underhanded tactics, she couldn’t fault the girl. Not once had she tried to instigate anything between the two of them, keeping to her vow.</p><p>            Hesitantly, she looked down at what she wore, knowing that it wasn’t exactly suited to the heat that she felt from the sun. While the house was kept cold, that did not mean it was the same on the outside. The casual suit she wore would not allow her to be comfortable in the heat from the sun, if she even could be considering the view that would be in front of her.</p><p>            “I’m...I’m not dressed for the heat,” she murmured in response, avoiding Zoya’s eyes as she looked up at her.</p><p>            Zoya hummed lightly, nodding sluggishly. “I suppose you’re not,” she agreed. “Too bad you didn’t have shorts you could wear.”</p><p>            The way she said it indicated that she knew Tatyana had shorts but wouldn’t argue if she decided to stay inside. It told Tatyana that Zoya was leaving the decision up to her, as she had with every decision since they had spoken.</p><p>            “I...I might...have a clean pair,” she offered, her tone wary. “Maybe.”</p><p>            Zoya nodded, smiling reassuringly at the woman. “Well, if you want to take a look, feel free. No one is sitting there, so it’s yours, if you wish to join me.”</p><p>            Taking the opportunity to head back into her room, Tatyana clenched her hands tight. Determined, she forced herself to breathe calmly as she moved into her closet, closing the door behind her. Before she could change her mind, she stripped her clothing off, tossing it all in the laundry bin and pulling on a pair of shorts she pulled from a shelf. Reaching for a big tee shirt, she hesitated.</p><p>            “Might...might as well go big,” she whispered to herself, grabbing a cropped spandex top with a built-in sports bra. She only used it when working out alone, which lately had been rare. Pulling it over her head, she grabbed the sunglasses that were sitting on the shelf that held her accessories and pushed them onto her head. At least with them, she would be able to look without feeling obvious about it.</p><p>            Opening the closet door, she walked to the refrigerator and grabbed another bottle of water for herself before walking to the exit to the balcony. Pausing, she noticed the water she’d placed on the table for Zoya was now sitting on the floor next to the lounger, having obviously been drunk from. She silently thanked the girl for grabbing it before she had come out.</p><p>            Zoya looked up at the woman, forcing herself to remain calm as she saw what Tatyana was wearing. She certainly hadn’t been expecting the woman to show as much skin as she was, but she wasn’t about to complain. “Found a pair of shorts I see.”</p><p>            Tatyana nodded, slipping the sunglasses down over her eyes as she skirted the edge of the balcony to slip into the chair that Zoya had positioned, opening the water she was holding and drinking some of it. “I did,” she stated, her eyes glued to the woman. She’d been right, the position of the chair allowed for an uninterrupted view of the girl before her, showing everything off.</p><p>            As Zoya shifted, she bent her knee up a little, offering the woman a view of her core. She contained the soft moan that she wanted to release as the soft breeze that had been a constant companion that day gently caressed her. She refused to compromise the progress that had been made over the last few weeks.</p><p>            Tatyana blinked in shock as she watched the girl reposition herself, her eyes snapping downwards to the girl’s exposed center. She bit her lip as she saw the glisten of moisture on the girl’s thighs that led back to her vagina. She tightened her grip on the sealed water bottle, shifting in her chair as she blushed heavily. All thoughts of fear fled as she licked her lips, wondering how the girl tasted only to wonder where that thought even came from. She recalled the times she had explored her own body over the last few weeks, biting her lip as she remembered how she had tasted, and wondered how much sweeter the girl tasted.</p><p>            “It’s such a beautiful day, isn’t it Tatyana?” Zoya questioned softly, slowly rolling onto her back, tucking one leg underneath the knee of the other, keeping herself exposed. She took in the deep blush on the woman’s face, smiling at her gently as she rested a hand on her lower abdomen, just inches above her pubic area. The other hand she tucked underneath her head, causing her hair to spread out around her head in a halo of bright auburn.</p><p>            Tatyana nodded, unable to answer. Her hands shook slightly as she pulled the cap off the water bottle, swallowing more of the cold liquid as she tried to process the scene in front of her. A voice in the back of her mind reminded her of the offer the girl had made that would let Tatyana watch her. Looking at the placement of the girl’s hand, she thought about how it would only take a small push before that hand would rest in the folds of the girl’s center.</p><p>            Shivering lightly, she wondered how the girl would react upon being touched. Tatyana could barely imagine the sounds the girl would make, making her very curious. Almost without her permission, she whispered softly, “You...you’re wet, Zoya.”</p><p>            Zoya blinked at Tatyana, forcing herself not to smile at the hesitant progress. “Am I?” she questioned. “I don’t think I spilled the water.” She wanted the woman to acknowledge what she was talking about, wanted her to ask for what she wanted. She had been telling the truth when she had stated that she would not do anything unless Tatyana initiated it. That included what the woman was currently alluding to.</p><p>            Tatyana licked her lips again, swallowing more water. At the rate she was drinking the large bottle, it would be gone in a few minutes. Shaking her head, she replied, “You didn’t...spill the water. You...you’re wet...down there.”</p><p>            Zoya tilted her head, looking down before looking at the woman again. “Down there?” she questioned, lifting her hand from her abdomen in a mimicry of confusion.</p><p>            “Your...your v-vagina...” Tatyana whispered hoarsely, clenching her free hand as her breathing increased slightly. What was she doing? It was like she didn’t have control of her words.</p><p>            Eyebrows raised in surprise, Zoya shifted her hand down to her core, dipping her fingers between her folds and gathering some of the liquid there, restraining a moan. Raising the hand to her face, she spread her fingers apart and smiled slightly at the liquid that clung to her fingers. “So I am...” she murmured before popping the fingers into her mouth as she stared at Tatyana.</p><p>            Tatyana froze as she watched Zoya clean her fingers, feeling the arousal that shot through her body as she felt the moisture start to seep between her own legs. She couldn’t believe how erotic it was watching someone else do that. She had never once thought to find something like what she was witnessing arousing, but obviously she had been wrong.</p><p>            Zoya placed her hand back on her abdomen, unable to stop her fingers from twitching towards the wetness between her legs. She waited patiently for the woman to make the next move, knowing that if she decided to do anything on her own, she would push Tatyana too far.</p><p>            Tatyana forced herself to relax back in the chair. This was Zoya. The girl had already proven that she wouldn’t do anything without Tatyana first asking her to. There was no reason for her to be scared of what the girl would do. Taking a deep breath, she stated firmly, “You’re still wet, Zoya. Aren’t you...uncomfortable?” She blushed at the tone, wondering where the strength came from to utter those words.</p><p>            Zoya lifted her head slightly to look down at herself, blushing slightly as she felt herself become wetter at Tatyana’s words. Squirming slightly, she nodded, letting herself relax into the moment a little more. “I...I suppose I am a little uncomfortable, Tatyana,” she whispered, licking her lips and reaching for the bottle of water, taking a sip before placing it back on the floor.</p><p>            Hearing the affirmation of the girl’s arousal made Tatyana shudder lightly as her hand fell from the arm of the chair to rest on her bare thigh. Shifting in her seat, she crossed her ankle over her knee, releasing some of the pressure from between her thighs. “You should take care of yourself, Zoya,” she suggested, surprised at the husky tone her voice held.</p><p>            Zoya lost the battle with herself as she moaned softly, falling back against the lounger. She wanted the woman to tell her what to do. She refused to touch herself until she was told to. “In...in what way...should I take care of myself, Tatyana?” she begged, forcing her fingers to remain still.</p><p>            “Touch yourself, Zoya,” Tatyana directed. “Play with yourself.”</p><p>            Whining, Zoya immediately pushed her fingers down into her folds, gasping as the pleasure shot throughout her body. Spreading her legs wider for the woman watching to have a good view, she spread her lips as her fingers teased at her clit, arching into her own hand. Now that she had been given permission, she found herself unable to stop. Pushing her thumb against her clit, she pushed two fingers inside of herself.</p><p>            Tatyana panted as she watched the girl writhe on her own hand, the sunlight highlighting the wetness that covered her thighs and fingers. Slowly, she trailed her own hand down her thigh and let it rest lightly over her own vagina, surprised to find the thin material damp. Examining the girl’s position, she swallowed. “Put...put your legs over the sides of the lounger,” she ordered, shivering as the girl immediately complied. The position opened the girl wider, giving her a direct view of her as she spread her lips, almost able to see the liquid that seeped from her.</p><p>            Zoya moaned, pushing against her hand as her other hand travelled to her breasts and started massaging them, pinching the nipples lightly. The new position allowed her to brace herself and push harder into her hand as she flicked her clit, spreading the growing wetness around. “Tatyana...” she moaned softly, her head back as she arched.</p><p>            Unable to stay sitting any longer, Tatyana hesitantly stood and took a couple of steps forward, dropping to her knees on the floor at the end of the lounger, giving herself a closer look of the girl. She was amazed that she wasn’t running screaming.</p><p>            Zoya whimpered as she heard Tatyana move, opening her eyes to watch the woman kneel at the foot of the lounger. She forced herself to continue with what she was doing rather than throw herself at the woman. She refused to betray the trust that was placed in her. She would never hurt the woman she loved like that. “Tatyana...my dear heart,” she whispered brokenly, her voice wavering under the intense look she felt from the woman that still hid behind the glasses.</p><p>            Tatyana hesitantly knelt up, spreading her legs as she slipped a hand beneath the waist band of her shorts to caress her own center. She shuddered as she felt the pleasure spike and twist through her, unable to believe it was so intense. She’d found doing this alone to be extremely pleasurable, but now that she had chanced doing this in front of Zoya, she found it to be much more intense.</p><p>            “Oh god...” Zoya whispered in disbelief as she watched Tatyana. She hadn’t expected that. She’d been hoping that the woman would just be comfortable sitting with her while she was nude. Asking her to pleasure herself had been an added bonus, but seeing the woman pleasure herself was almost too much. She pushed her fingers back into her vagina as she arched firmly against her hand, her other hand abandoning her breasts to play with her clit. She was too close without the added stimulation of seeing Tatyana.</p><p>            Tatyana braced herself on the lounger with one hand as her fingers abused her clit beneath the shorts, eyes glued to the girl in front of her. How had she been scared of something like this? The girl hadn’t even reached for her once. It was obvious that she would listen to her, and the thought of directing the girl sent fire racing through her veins. Her thighs tensed as she clenched her teeth against the wave that threatened to crash over her. She wanted to see the girl release before she did.</p><p>            “Zoya...” she whispered brokenly. “Come for me, baby girl.”</p><p>            Zoya sobbed upon hearing those words, arching against her hand with a scream as she shattered, eyes locked onto Tatyana. She shuddered violently as she watched the woman bite her lip, tensing as she came, a low moan ripped from her throat. It was only sheer will that kept Tatyana from collapsing forward onto the lounger between Zoya’s legs.</p><p>            Tatyana panted, trying to gather her scattered thoughts as she watched the girl before her do the same. Pulling her hand from between her legs, she wiped her fingers on the cloth of the shorts. She saw the occasional shiver overtake the girl as she lay against the lounger, her eyes closed as she panted softly. She licked her lips as she watched the girl slowly pull her hand from between her legs, eyes widening at the wetness that clung to the girl’s fingers. Her earlier thoughts filling her head, she reached out and grabbed the girl’s wrist.</p><p>            Zoya’s eyes snapped open as she felt the fingers wrap around her wrist. She watched as Tatyana pushed the sunglasses up on top of her head, seeing the woman’s eyes focused on her hand. She bit her lip as she was pulled forward so that her hand was within reach of Tatyana, unable to blink as the woman examined her fingers. What was going on?</p><p>            Tatyana flicked her eyes up to the girl’s face, taking in the cautious expression there before she leaned forward slowly and licked the tips of the girl’s fingers. The taste that exploded on her tongue was sweet, making her moan softly as she sucked the fingers into her mouth, one at a time, cleaning them. Her eyes glanced up at the girl again to see her flushed and panting, frozen as if afraid to scare her away.</p><p>            At that moment, she realized that no matter what happened, she would always place her trust in the girl before her, above and beyond anyone else. She saw that Zoya wanted to reach out and touch her, saw the need in those eyes, but she also saw the determination to not go back on her word. Twirling her tongue around the fingers in her mouth, she saw the girl shudder as her eyes closed in pleasure, her hand trailing up to her own mouth.</p><p>            A new look appearing in her eyes, she snapped her other hand out and captured the girl’s other wrist, shaking her head at the questioning look. Releasing the girl’s fingers from her mouth, she pulled the other hand to her mouth, whispering, “Mine.”</p><p>            Zoya sobbed in pleasure as Tatyana pulled the fingers of her other hand into her mouth, cleaning those off as well. Where had this confidence come from? She had never expected this sort of contact and she had not been prepared for it. She felt like she was about to come again just from the feel of Tatyana’s mouth wrapped around her digits.</p><p>            Tatyana released the fingers in her mouth, letting the girl’s wrists free and watching as she fell back onto the lounger, panting. The girl tasted better than anything she’d ever had before and it left her longing for more. Looking at the girl’s exposed folds, she bit her lip, feeling a small spike of uncertainty at the thought of tasting the source of the liquid. Uncertainly, she pushed herself back, her eyes apologetic as she caught Zoya’s eyes with her own.</p><p>            “I...” Tatyana started, shaking her head.</p><p>            Zoya nodded, a smile on her lips as she panted lightly. “It’s okay. I understand. Go ahead and go back into the house. I’ll be in when I get my wits about me,” she stated softly, her expression telling Tatyana that the girl really did understand.</p><p>            Nodding hesitantly, Tatyana pushed herself to her feet, and started towards the bedroom, only to pause as she neared the door. She thought to herself for a moment, looking back at the girl before deciding that it really wasn’t any different than what she’d already done. Hesitantly, she turned back, stopping at the head of lounger. “Zoya...?” she whispered, causing the girl to tilt her head back in question to look up at Tatyana.</p><p>            “Tatyana?” she murmured, wondering why the woman hadn’t left right away.</p><p>            “I...” Tatyana shook her head, leaning down and placing a hesitant kiss on Zoya’s forehead, meeting her shocked eyes. “Thank you...for not pushing.” Not giving the girl a chance to react, she turned and strode into the room, heading for the bathroom and locking herself in.</p><p>            Zoya shook as she blinked after the woman, pushing herself up and grabbing the robe on the floor. Wrapping it around herself, she followed the woman into the house, heading through to her own room and her own bathroom. She had never expected the progress that they had made, but she would accept whatever the woman was willing to give her and treasure every moment, no matter how big or small.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>            Adam stood to meet the duo that walked towards him, extending his hand in greeting. “It’s nice to see you two again,” he stated, shaking their hands. “How was your trip?”</p><p>            “As well as can be expected, all things considered.”</p><p>            “I was only expecting Damon,” Adam stated plainly, looking towards the woman.</p><p>            “Genevieve was asked to come as well...to deal with any complications,” Damon responded, smirk in place.</p><p>            The woman smiled beautifully, a hint of danger in her eyes. “My...specialties were required. The boss thinks that I might be of help with keeping people...distracted.”</p><p>            Adam nodded thoughtfully, leading the duo towards the parking lot where his car was parked. “Your help certainly won’t be turned down,” he stated. “I’ve already checked out the estate and it’s locked up tighter than any prison I’ve seen, and they’re working on upgrading the security features right now.”</p><p>            “Which company is assisting?” Damon asked as he stowed the bag he was carrying in the car they approached.</p><p>            “Elite Strike,” Adam stated with a grimace.</p><p>            “Intriguing,” Genevieve murmured. “Zhou Da-xia is well known for her work. It’s been a continued area of irritation for Mr. Liu.”</p><p>            “Do we know the security upgrades being done?” Damon questioned, taking the woman’s bag and placing it in the truck next to his own.</p><p>            “Not yet,” Adam stated, holding the car door open for Genevieve. “But I do have other information that just recently came to light.”</p><p>            “What’s that?” Genevieve questioned pleasantly.</p><p>            “Petrov just named some kid his son, through adoption,” Adam stated, closing the door and jogging around to the other side of the car and climbing in.</p><p>            “Adoption?” Damon questioned, surprised. Leaning forward from the back seat of the car, he shared a look with the Genevieve. “How did that happen?”</p><p>            “From what information I could gather, apparently Miss Petrova was angry over the fact that this kid was kicked out by his father for liking his own gender. When she found out the kid was living in a homeless shelter, she called daddy dearest and demanded he do something about it,” Adam explained as he started the car and pulled out of the spot he was parked in. “The papers were just finalized and filed. The kid is officially a Petrov now, and under the protection of the Romanov family, same as Miss Petrova.”</p><p>            “Do we know anything else about this kid?” Genevieve questioned, tapping her lower lip thoughtfully.</p><p>            “Just his name, unfortunately. Emery Jacobs. Well, Petrov now. I haven’t been able to get anything more from my source. I didn’t want to push too hard because it would look suspicious if I were to demand more information,” Adam admitted, turning down a side street.</p><p>            “Damon?” Genevieve murmured, looking over her shoulder at the man who was already pulling out a tablet from the small bag next to him.</p><p>            “Already on it, Nev,” Damon murmured, tapping on the screen furiously.</p><p>            “We’ll need to figure out the best way to get to Petrov,” Genevieve stated, looking back towards Adam. “Personally, I think Miss Petrova is still the best way, but by the sounds of it, this kid might be the perfect way to get to her.”</p><p>            “I agree,” Adam stated. “But since the adoption, he rarely leaves the estate. Same as with Miss Petrova.”</p><p>            Damon chuckled from the back seat as he looked at the picture on the tablet screen, murmuring, “Well, we’ll just have to draw the kid out now, won’t we?”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Jodi laughed as she watched Zoya throw popcorn at Emery only for him to retaliate by dumping the entire bowl he held over her head. She was happy that her friend had found a family who wanted him. She’d known what he had been going through, but she’d not been able to help him. Until recently, she had been struggling herself. Her job barely paid enough to get by, and she’d been living pay cheque to pay cheque. With Emery not having a job, she’d never have been able to afford to help him as well.</p><p>            It wasn’t until Adam had come into her life that she’d felt that maybe things were changing. It was weird, because she’d never considered needing a man in her life. In fact, she’d always assumed she would end up with a woman. Approaching men had always felt awkward, but with Adam, she felt differently. He had approached her and hadn’t stopped asking her out until she’d said yes. It had been kind of sweet. He hadn’t forced her or anything, and in fact, they hadn’t even had sex yet. He was always very mindful of her, doing his best to make sure that she was comfortable.</p><p>            She supposed his actions towards her had something to do with his job. Especially lately, as he had been unable to spend as much time with her. When she’d asked, he had said that his work had gotten really busy lately, apologizing for not giving her the ‘attention she deserved’. It was like he always knew what to say to make sure that she knew she was special. And he was always interested in what was happening in her life.</p><p>            She’d told him what had happened with Emery recently, and he’d seemed suitably impressed by the actions that Zoya had taken on getting her father to make Emery one of their family. Whenever they spoke, Adam always made the effort to inquire about her friends and how they were all doing now. It was sweet that he cared as much as he did, if a little strange.</p><p>            He’d even expressed an interest in getting to know Emery more, stating that he must be a good person to be such a good friend of hers. She’d told him that she would find out if Emery could visit them at some point, but she hadn’t yet asked. For some reason, she felt that having Emery leave the estate would be harmful to her friend, though she didn’t know where that feeling came from. Despite how wonderful he treated her, and how thoughtful he was of her feelings, something about him seemed a little too good to be true. Because of that, she avoided talking about him much with her friends beyond mentioning that she was dating someone.</p><p>            She looked up as Emery dropped across her lap, the arms of the plush chair taking most of his weight. Laughing, she wrapped her arms across his back, looking up at Zoya. “Take your revenge, my Queen!” she called dramatically, barely holding in her laughter.</p><p>            Zoya drew herself up straight, walking forward in a mockery of regality, nodding her head graciously as a smile twitched at her lips. “I commend you for your efforts in capturing the traitor to the crown. Sir Nikolai!” she called, waving her hand and beckoning Nikolai forward.</p><p>            “My Queen,” Nikolai stated, moving forwards with a huge grin on his face. “I live to serve, your Grace.”</p><p>            “Hold him, Sir Nikolai,” Zoya ordered, directing her gaze towards Emery who had twisted his head to watch them with wide eyes. “I feel that he will prove...troublesome.”</p><p>            “As you command, your Grace,” Nikolai said firmly, walking toward Emery’s head.</p><p>            “Do you have anything to say for yourself, traitor?” Zoya demanded with a hint of laughter in her tone.</p><p>            “I didn’t do it! It was my brother!” Emery shouted, easily falling into the character that was imposed on him.</p><p>            “A likely story! Your brother was with me the night the men were let into the castle!” Zoya scoffed, walking forward. “You are not to be believed! Your punishment will be deserved.”</p><p>            Nikolai grabbed Emery’s arms tightly, grinning at him as he hung on for dear life mere inches from his face. “You brought this on yourself, dear Brother,” he stated, attempting to sneer through the laughter.</p><p>            Emery opened his mouth to protest, only to release a bark of laughter as Zoya dug her fingers into his sides, going right for the most sensitive spots she could find. He twisted in Nikolai’s and Jodi’s grasp as he gasped for breath, laughter falling from his lips in loud peals. He begged and pleaded for the torture to stop, only to be ignored as Zoya moved her fingers higher up his sides.</p><p>            “You will never be forgiven for your slights against the crown!” Zoya cried, digging her fingers into his armpits, causing loud squeals to escape Emery.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Damon looked around the neighborhood that they stood in, frowning thoughtfully. “Are we sure this is the house?” he asked, turning to Genevieve.</p><p>            Holding up a folder, Genevieve flicked through the papers held within, nodding. “According to the reports, the current owner of the house is one Stephen Jacobs. Divorced, single father of one son,” she stated softly, looking up at the man next to her.</p><p>            “Seems like a decent enough house. Are we certain on the details of what happened between the man and his son?” Damon questioned, leaning against the car that was parked down the road from the house they were looking at.</p><p>            “I did some checking. He has a son, currently aged twenty-one, but no one has seen him around here for a couple of years. Apparently, he went off to university and never came back,” Genevieve murmured, tossing the file through the window of the car onto the seat. “Whenever anyone asks where his son is, the response is always the same. ‘I don’t have a son.’ It’s pathetic, really.”</p><p>            Damon nodded, pushing the sunglasses he was holding back over his eyes, clearing his throat. “Well, let’s get this over with then. I’d rather not be in this assholes company longer than I have to be,” he muttered, walking towards the house.</p><p>            Genevieve nodded, following the man towards the house. Both of them found this part of their job extremely distasteful, but it was required at times. They hated bearing witness to how easily people gave in to the lure that money brought, and it was almost a guarantee that this time would be no different.</p><p>            Approaching the door to the house, Damon knocked firmly, glancing at Genevieve with a sigh. A moment later, the door opened, revealing a stern looking man that looked like he wouldn’t give a bottle of water to a man dying of thirst.</p><p>            “Whatever you’re selling, I don’t want it,” the man snapped, glaring at the two as he went to close the door again.</p><p>            Hand snapping out, Damon stopped the door from closing as he stared at the man silently.</p><p>            “Stephen Jacobs?” Genevieve murmured, smiling at the man.</p><p>            Frowning, the man nodded, turning his gaze to the woman and looking her up and down. “That’d be me, sweetheart,” he confirmed, finally looking at her face.</p><p>            “Good,” Damon murmured, getting the man’s attention. “We’d like to talk to you if you can spare a moment of your time.”</p><p>            “What about?” Stephen demanded, crossing his arms.</p><p>            “Your son,” Damon replied, raising a brow at the dark look that crossed the man’s face.</p><p>            “I don’t have a son,” he snapped, hand going back to the door in an attempt to close it.</p><p>            “Oh, come now, Stephen,” Genevieve murmured softly, stepping forward and placing a hand on the man’s chest. “We both know that’s not correct.”</p><p>            Staring down at the woman suspiciously, Stephen turned his gaze to the man before looking around the yard. Not wanting anyone to start asking questions, he growled lightly and stepped back. “Well, fucking come in then if you’re not leaving,” he stated, glaring at the two as they walked in like they owned the place. Slamming the door, he followed them into the kitchen.</p><p>            “Are you in contact with Emery?” Damon questioned, glancing around the kitchen uninterestedly.</p><p>            “What part of me not having a son do you not understand?” Stephen demanded, going to the refrigerator and pulling out a beer.</p><p>            Genevieve pulled out a chair and perched on it, crossing her legs and resting her hands in her lap. “I heard that you lost your job recently...” she murmured, eyeing the man.</p><p>            “How’d you hear that?” he snapped, flushing angrily at the reminder.</p><p>            “Drinking on the job, from what I remember,” Genevieve mused. “It sounds like you might be in a bind, money wise.”</p><p>            “What’s that to you?”</p><p>            “Well, if you really did have a son, we could very well have a...profitable business proposal for you,” Damon murmured, turning to face the man again.</p><p>            Eyes narrowing suspiciously, Stephen looked between the two of them. Walking to the table, he pulled out a chair and sat, placing the beer in front of him. “How profitable are we talking here?”</p><p>            Genevieve glanced at Damon, smiling at the nod she was given. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a small slip of paper and slid it across to the man, meeting his eyes.</p><p>            Grabbing the paper, Stephen opened it and blinked at the number listed. That was <em>not</em> a small number. Clearing his throat, he looked between the two. “This number correct?” he asked quietly.</p><p>            “It is,” Genevieve murmured, closing the snaps on her purse.</p><p>            “What do I need to do?” Stephen asked, making Damon and Genevieve smile as one.</p><p>            “We just need you to make a few phone calls,” Damon murmured. “We’d like you to...reconnect with Emery.”</p><p>            Stephen frowned as he listened to the two individuals detail out what was expected of him, nodding at certain intervals to indicate he understood. What was one less freak of nature in the world? It was the boy’s own fault for choosing to be the way he was. At least this way he got back what he’d spent raising the kid, plus a nice sizeable addition that would mean he wouldn’t have to worry about money for quite a while.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Tatyana and Charlie looked at each other in concern as Dax and Mikhail paused in front of them when they heard the loud squeals coming from the theatre room. They had been heading that way to pick up their respective charges after having spoken with Dax and Demetri about the security upgrades.</p><p>            “What the hell...?” Mikhail murmured, scowling as he stalked forward and pushed the half-opened door all the way open.</p><p>            The four of them stared in shock as they saw Emery on the floor, with Zoya on top of him as Jodi and Nikolai pinned him down. Emery was bucking and crying, tears rolling down his cheeks as he laughed. Zoya was leaning forward with her fingers dug into Emery’s sides as she shouted about a crown of sorts. Nikolai was crowing about his brother being a traitor and Jodi was proclaiming her allegiance to her ‘Queen’. All in all, the four of them were too absorbed to even notice the sudden audience they had.</p><p>            Dax hid a grin behind her hand as she saw matching looks of exhausted resignation on the faces of the other three she was with. Since she had taken the contract that Mikhail had offered, her life had certainly not been dull. Just seeing Charlie find someone who wanted him for who he was had been exciting enough.</p><p>            “It looks like you three have your work cut out for you,” she murmured in amusement.</p><p>            Sighing, Mikhail ran his hand across his face before nodding. “Tatyana, you grab Zoya. I’ll grab Nikolai. Dax, do me a favor and grab Jodi. Charlie, before he can do anything, you grab Emery,” Mikhail ordered, looking at each person in turn as he received answering nods, a grin accompanying Dax’s nod.</p><p>            As one, the four of them moved forward and snagged their respective targets, each of them pinning their arms down to their sides as they fought to get back to their target on the floor. Realizing he was free, Emery pushed himself up and went to jump at Zoya, screaming about how her rule was unjust and that she would be stopped, only to be caught mid jump by Charlie.</p><p>            Startled, Emery looked up and met the amused eyes looking down on him, blushing brightly. “H...hello...”</p><p>            Zoya deflated as she registered that she was being held back by someone, finally seeing the other individuals that were in the room with them. Biting her lip, she looked at Nikolai and Jodi before turning her gaze to Emery. “I can explain...?” she squeaked at the looks on Mikhail’s and Charlie’s faces, expecting the same look to be on the face of the woman who held her back.</p><p>            Nikolai grinned up at Mikhail as the man looked down at him. “We were punishing a traitor to the crown, Master! The slight against our Queen could not be tolerated!” he declared passionately, making the man blink down at him in astonishment.</p><p>            “Traitor to the crown...” Mikhail repeated slowly, shaking his head.</p><p>            “He slandered the name of our Queen, and therefore had to pay the price for his actions,” Jodi announced loftily, pulling on the arms that held her tightly.</p><p>            “I did no such thing! It was my brother!” Emery cried in protest, prompting Zoya to whip her gaze back to him.</p><p>            “You lie even now!” she cried, trying to throw herself forward, only held back by the grip that Tatyana had on her.</p><p>            Mikhail looked up at what appeared to be the only actual ‘adults’ in the room. How were they supposed to deal with this?</p><p>            Tatyana looked around the room, spying a small pile of junk food wrappers on a table near the front of the room. Wrapping her arms tight around Zoya’s waist, she jerked her head in the direction of the table.</p><p>            Following the woman’s gaze, Mikhail shook his head in understanding when he saw the small pile of garbage. “Nikolai, how much sugar have you four had?” he demanded, looking down into the eyes that gazed up at him.</p><p>            “Not much, Master,” Nikolai responded immediately. “Whatever Charlie brought back for Emery the last time he was out.”</p><p>            Charlie choked slightly as he fought to keep Emery in his arms. “Do you mean the stuff I brought back a couple of days ago?”</p><p>            “Yeah!” Nikolai replied enthusiastically.</p><p>            “Mikhail, that should have lasted Emery almost two months,” Charlie stated with a disbelieving look. “I spent almost two hundred on all that crap.”</p><p>            “Jesus Christ,” Mikhail muttered before giving up and picking Nikolai up and throwing him over his shoulder. Delivering a sound smack to his ass as he continued to struggle, Mikhail walked towards the door. “I’m going to go deal with this one. Until they calm down, they should be separated. Or we’ll have a full-on war on our hands.”</p><p>            Charlie nodded, lifting Emery with little effort and throwing the kid over his shoulder as he followed Mikhail out of the room and headed towards his own room. “I’ll talk to you later, Dax,” he called, throwing the woman an exasperated look as she laughed at him.</p><p>            “Zoya, calm down,” Tatyana ordered, tightening her arms around the girl’s middle. Moving her hand to the girl’s collar, she started dragging the girl along with her, keeping a tight grasp on her.</p><p>            Dax chuckled, shaking her head as she tightened her arms lightly around the form she held.</p><p>            “You...you can let me go, Ms. Zhou,” Jodi murmured with a blush, biting her lip uncertainly.</p><p>            Dax grinned at the girl in her arms, squeezing slightly. “What if I don’t want to?” she questioned. She’d watched the girl every time she came over and was intrigued. There was something about her that drew her attention whenever she was near, and Dax couldn’t figure it out.</p><p>            Jodi looked down, wondering why she felt shy all of a sudden. She wasn’t normally the type to be shy, but with this woman, she couldn’t help it. It was strange. Despite asking her to let go, she hoped the woman wouldn’t. Blushing, she gently placed her hand over the woman’s hands. “I...I have a boyfriend, Ms. Zhou,” she murmured in protest.</p><p>            Dax hummed lightly, leaning down and nuzzling Jodi’s neck lightly. She was well aware of who the girl was attached to, and really, she would be doing her a favor by interfering. She knew the attraction that she posed to certain people, and she wasn’t above using it. It had been a long time since she’d been with a woman.</p><p>            “I fail to see how that’s a problem,” Dax murmured, placing gentle kisses on the back of Jodi’s neck as she reached up to push her hair out of the way.</p><p>            Biting her lip, Jodi took the opportunity to pull away from Dax, turning to scowl up at her as she did. “It’s a problem because I won’t cheat on him,” Jodi stated firmly. “And I don’t appreciate how you assume that I would.”</p><p>            Dax crossed her arms, looking at the smaller woman appraisingly. This was the first time that someone had turned her down in such a way. Normally, she was the one who turned people down, not the other way around. Intriguing. “I see,” she murmured before nodding acceptance and walking out of the room, leaving Jodi standing alone.</p>
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<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>CHAPTER THIRTEEN</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            “We found the kid’s father,” Genevieve stated with a grin. “Not that it was hard.”</p><p>            “Are we even sure that the man will follow through with what he was asked to do? He kicked the kid out after all,” Adam stated, frowning.</p><p>            “Oh, don’t worry. He’ll do it. We made sure that he would,” Damon stated smugly. “Money talks to everyone, after all.”</p><p>            Adam chuckled, nodding. “That it does,” he agreed. “It wasn’t hard to get him to agree?”</p><p>            Genevieve sneered, shaking her head in disgust. “The ignorant prick was quick to agree once he found out the amount of money that he would gain. He claims that the kid deserves whatever he gets. Pissed me off.”</p><p>            Adam shook his head, sighing. “Don’t know why we bother sometimes. People like that make everyone’s life difficult,” he muttered. “Has the boss been informed of the plan?”</p><p>            “I called him on our way back here,” Damon informed. “He wasn’t too impressed by how easy it was to get the asshole to agree either.”</p><p>            “I’m not surprised, given what he knows,” Adam stated, sighing. This was starting to become more complicated than it already had been. He was starting to wonder if their target was even worth the trouble.</p><p>            Noticing the look on Adam’s face, Damon chuckled softly. “Having second thoughts, Adam?”</p><p>            Rolling his eyes, Adam shook his head. “No, just getting irritated by how long this is taking. It should have been a simple job of search and capture. You both know I hate jobs that get complicated.”</p><p>            Genevieve stood and walked towards the door to the room they were sitting in, rolling her eyes. “I’m going out,” she announced, opening the door and leaving.</p><p>            “What’s with her?” Adam questioned, frowning.</p><p>            “Ignore her,” Damon instructed, pulling his laptop towards him and turning on the cameras that he had set up to watch the estate where their target was housed. He’d been lucky enough to have enough of a window to install them without being noticed, and he wasn’t going to let the opportunity go to waste.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Charlie frowned at Mikhail as he heard Emery’s name pass the man’s lips. Sitting up, he stared at the man, waiting for him to get off the phone so he could ask what was going on. By the confused look on his face, Mikhail wasn’t sure himself what was going on. That was especially concerning because the man always seemed to know things before anyone else.</p><p>            Mikhail disconnected the call with a thoughtful look on his face as he stared at the screen for a moment before placing the phone on the desk in front of him. He could honestly say that had been one of the more interesting phone calls he’d had in quite a while.</p><p>            “What was that about?” Charlie questioned, leaning forward slightly. They’d been in the middle of going over the work that had been completed so far when Mikhail had gotten the call.</p><p>            “Emery’s father wants to see him,” Mikhail murmured thoughtfully. “Apparently he regrets his actions and would like a chance to make amends.”</p><p>            Startled, Charlie sat back in his chair. “Make amends...” he stated in disbelief.</p><p>            Mikhail glanced up at the man, nodding. “Yeah, that’s what he said. Claimed that he had not been in a good place when he said what he did, and that he regretted it.”</p><p>            Charlie snorted, shaking his head. “Yeah, okay. If he regretted it, then why did he wait almost four god damned years to reach out?” he demanded.</p><p>            “That’s what I’d like to know,” Mikhail commented lightly before picking his phone up and dialing a number.   “Hey, can I get you three down to the library?”</p><p>            “...”</p><p>            “Nothing wrong, per se. Just something I need you to check out for me,” he replied, nodding thoughtfully.</p><p>            “...”</p><p>            “Okay. I’ll see you in a few minutes,” he stated, disconnecting the call and dialing another number. “Yuri, can you run a background and credit check for me?”</p><p>            “...”</p><p>            “Stephen Jacobs.”</p><p>            “...”</p><p>            “Yeah, Emery’s biological father.”</p><p>            “...”</p><p>            “He wants to reconnect with Emery apparently. I want to make sure this is legitimate and not him fishing for something,” Mikhail stated, frowning.</p><p>            “...”</p><p>            “Yeah, take your time. We’re not going to tell Emery until we’re sure he’s good.”</p><p>            “...”</p><p>            “Thanks Yuri,” Mikhail said, disconnecting the call and placing the phone on the desk as the triplets came through the door.</p><p>            “What do you need, Mikhail?” Yakov questioned seriously as his two brothers stood next to him silently.</p><p>            “I need you to check someone out for me,” Mikhail stated, scribbling something on a piece of paper before holding it out for Yakov to take. “Find out what he’s been up to the last four years. I need to know everything.”</p><p>            Frowning, Yakov took the paper and read the name in confusion. “Anything we should focus on?”</p><p>            “Yeah,” Mikhail stated firmly. “Find out why he would suddenly want to reconnect with the son he wanted nothing to do with because of his sexual preference.”</p><p>            Startled, Sava took a step forward. “Emery’s father?”</p><p>            Mikhail nodded, replying, “I just got off the phone with him. He apparently wants to make amends.”</p><p>            Snorting, Luka shook his head. “Why wait four years then?”</p><p>            “That was my thought,” Mikhail affirmed. “I have Yuri looking into his financials and getting me a criminal background check. I need you guys to find what that won’t give me.”</p><p>            Yakov nodded, expression serious. “You got it boss. We’ll do some digging,” he stated, turning and heading out the door, his brothers following.</p><p>            “Keep this to yourself, Charlie. Once we figure out if this is on the level, we’ll discuss setting up a meeting with Emery,” Mikhail ordered, getting an immediate nod from the other man.</p><p>            “Of course,” Charlie stated. “Personally, I would prefer not to have Emery near the bastard. It’ll only hurt him if this isn’t what it seems to be.”</p><p>            “Let’s hope he means what he says,” Mikhail murmured. “I think the kid would appreciate a second chance to know his father.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Nikolai sighed to himself as he pulled a small box towards him. Opening it, he pulled out a small stack of photos. His husband didn’t know about this box, and while he didn’t go out of his way to hide it, he didn’t exactly make it obvious that he had it either. Looking at the top photo, he smiled sadly. In the photo was his mother and him when he was younger, before she’d gotten sick and before his father had left.</p><p>            He chuckled at the resemblance between him and his mother. Even when he was young, he’d been nearly identical to her. He had never looked anything like his father, much to his mother’s amusement. He still remembered her laughter when she’d still been happy and carefree. They had done everything together as a family, but that had changed one day.</p><p>            He’d been ten and had just gotten home from school to find his mother crying in the living room. He hadn’t understood why she was crying, assuming that she was sick, but his mother had quickly removed that thought from his head. It was the day that he’d discovered his father had abandoned them.</p><p>            He had been so confused as to why his father would never come back home. He’d been quite close with the man, almost idolizing him. When most kids wanted to be firefighters or policemen when they grew up, he’d just wanted to be like his father. To him, there was no better person in the world.</p><p>            Shuffling through the photos, he pulled out one that he had taken himself just days before his father had left. In the photo was his mother and father, smiling together at a picnic they had gone on. They looked to be so in love, that it seemed almost impossible to consider that a few days from when that photo was taken their family would be missing a member.</p><p>            “Nikolai?”</p><p>            Startled, he looked up, dropping the photos in his hand and causing them to scatter as he met Mikhail’s eyes. “Master?”</p><p>            Frowning in concern, Mikhail walked further into the closet and knelt down, gathering the photos the boy had been looking at. “What are these?” he questioned, looking at the pictures.</p><p>            “My photos...” Nikolai murmured, leaning closer and pointing at the one Mikhail was looking at. “That’s my Mom, before she got sick.”</p><p>            Mikhail smiled softly. “She’s beautiful. I can see where you get your looks from.”</p><p>            Nikolai chuckled, nodding. “My Dad used to get so irritated because I looked so much like her. I think he only acted like that though, because it amused my Mom every time,” he stated, taking the photos and pulling out the one he’d been looking at before. “This is my Mom and my Dad. It was taken when I was ten, just a few days before he...before he left.”</p><p>            Mikhail examined the photo curiously, recognizing the man in the photos and wondering where he’d seen him before. He agreed that Nikolai got his colouring from his mother, but his features were from his father. “You said he left? Do you know why?”</p><p>            “No. He was gone before I got home from school one day. I found my Mom crying in the living room when I got home,” Nikolai stated sadly. “She got sick not long after he left.”</p><p>            Taking the photo of his mother and father from Nikolai, Mikhail held it up, asking, “Mind if I hold onto this one for a little bit? I wanna look into something.”</p><p>            Confused, Nikolai looked up at his Master. Hesitantly, he nodded. “Okay. Just put it back in the box when you’re done,” he said, placing the rest of the photos in the box and shoving it into a drawer.</p><p>            Mikhail placed the photo on the shelf next to him before pulling Nikolai into his arms. Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to the lips that were immediately offered up to him, smiling. “Our four-month anniversary is coming up in a few days,” he stated softly, chuckling at the grin that prompted.</p><p>            “Oh, is it?” Nikolai asked, humming thoughtfully as he tried to force the grin from his lips. “I’m surprised you can remember. You’re so old now.”</p><p>            Growling lightly, Mikhail bit lightly at a bruise on the boy’s neck, murmuring, “You didn’t think I was old last night.”</p><p>            Nikolai shuddered lightly at the twinge of pain, tilting his head to give the man better access. “I...I don’t know,” he whispered softly. “You were a little out of shape last night. I only came twice.”</p><p>            A dark chuckle escaping his lips, Mikhail stood with the boy in his arms as he walked out of the closet to the bedroom. “We’ll have to fix that, won’t we? I don’t need you questioning my ability to keep you satisfied.”</p><p>            Nikolai moaned as he was thrown on the bed, looking up as his Master pulled off his clothing before joining him in bed. He’d never get tired of how riled up he could make his Master. His thoughts disappeared as Mikhail set about showing him exactly how ‘old’ he actually was.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            Zoya frowned as she stood in the middle of her room, naked as the day she was born. She looked around the room, stomping her foot and growling lightly. “Where is it?” she demanded softly, talking to herself.</p><p>            “Where is what?” Tatyana questioned from the door that separated their rooms, amused.</p><p>            Shrieking, Zoya jumped and spun around, dropping to the ground as she stared at the woman in disbelief. Pressing her hand against her chest, she panted as if she’d run a mile, opening and closing her mouth as she blinked up at Tatyana. “Don’t <em>do</em> that!” she scolded breathlessly.</p><p>            Tatyana bit her lip in amusement, staring at the girl where she was splayed on the floor. Looking at all the bare skin, she marvelled at the fact that she wasn’t the least bit bothered. Had she walked in on the girl like this six months ago, she would have bolted. Now, she just found the girl’s reaction adorable and took the opportunity to drink in the view.</p><p>            Her mind reflected over the thoughts she’d been having since their little exploration on the balcony a couple weeks earlier. She’d been wondering what it would be like to go further with the girl, but she refused to let herself contemplate the idea. She wouldn’t move further than she had with Zoya until she could confidently tell her exactly how she felt. Realistically, she knew the girl had a good idea of her feelings, but it wasn’t fair to Zoya for her not to be able to hear them. She would be firm in her decision on this, no matter what she wanted to do with the girl.</p><p>            Smiling at the girl, she shrugged lightly. “You seemed really absorbed in looking for whatever it is you’re looking for. I didn’t want to interrupt,” she said casually, chuckling at the look that garnered her.</p><p>            Zoya huffed, pushing herself to her feet and narrowing her eyes at the woman. Somehow, she doubted that was entirely the truth, but she wasn’t going to complain if Tatyana had just wanted to look at her. Whatever got the woman to a point where she was comfortable enough to be herself around Zoya. “Whatever,” she stated, crossing her arms. “Have you seen it?”</p><p>            Tatyana rolled her eyes, murmuring, “You haven’t told me what you’re looking for yet, Zoya. How am I supposed to know what you’re looking for?”</p><p>            “Oh...” Zoya said, arms falling to her sides as she deflated. “Sorry. I was looking for the necklace that Papa gave me. I can’t seem to find it anywhere.”</p><p>            “And that requires you to be naked?” Tatyana questioned with a smile, walking into the room.</p><p>            “Oh...no that was because I haven’t gotten dressed yet. I forgot to grab a towel when I got out of the shower and was still tired, so I took a nap on the bed while I dried off,” Zoya stated, motioning to the bed.</p><p>            Tatyana looked at the bed, noticing the damp patches on the comforter as she did. Chuckling, she looked back to the girl to see her on her hands and knees, looking underneath the small wardrobe, her bum high in the air as she pressed her face to the carpet. Shifting uncomfortably, Tatyana shook her head in amusement. “Have you checked Yana’s bed yet? You know she likes to steal things.”</p><p>            Sitting up, Zoya looked towards the bed in question to see Yana curled up, sleeping. “No, I haven’t,” she stated, crawling towards the bed. “Yana, you thief. Did you steal momma’s necklace?”</p><p>            Zoya picked up the sleeping kitten, ignoring the yowl that prompted, placing her on the floor next to her bed and crying in victory. Reaching out, she snatched the necklace she had been looking for from the bed. Turning to the kitten, she scolded, “Don’t touch momma’s necklace, Yana!” Ignoring the sleepy yowl she got in response, she clasped the necklace around her neck and stood up.</p><p>            Tatyana sat hesitantly on the girl’s bed, biting her lip uncertainly. She noticed the warmth that the bed clothes still held where the girl had been sleeping, trailing her fingertips over the indent in them. “You...you should get dressed, Zoya,” she murmured, looking back up at the girl.</p><p>            Zoya smiled softly, nodding. “Alright,” she stated, walking into the closet to do as instructed. She was surprised how far Tatyana had come. While there hadn’t been a repeat of the day on the balcony, she was noticing that the woman seemed to be opening up in other areas. She was more comfortable being in the same room when she was naked, and she seemed less hesitant about touching her. While it wasn’t often and the times Tatyana touched her seemed unintentional, Zoya knew the difference.</p><p>            Finishing with her clothes, she walked out of the closet to find that Tatyana had abandoned the bed in favor of one of the chairs near the door. Smiling at the woman, she ignored the shift in location. “Should we go down for breakfast? Anna keeps getting mad that I miss breakfast so often.”</p><p>            Tatyana nodded, standing and opening the door. “Of course,” she murmured, exiting the room and looking around the hall before letting Zoya exit the room. Walking down the hall, she failed to see the happy smile that Zoya directed at her back, her thoughts reflecting on what she’d been contemplating the last few weeks. Somehow, she felt that things were going to be okay.</p><p> </p>
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